Naruto's Baby RE-UPLOADED
by Hero King Zeta 1991
Summary: "Naruto has been hiding a secret from his teammates; he has a daughter. How did Naruto become a parents at the age of 12 and how will he raise a baby when he's a 12 year old genin?" author/written by Lynnie Lou Who and i'm RE-UPLOADED.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Chapter 1**

**I don't own Naruto**

**Naruto's Baby** **Chapter 1**

A typical morning for Naruto with a start with the sound of the alarm clock in the dim morning light. He reached over and slammed the small clock off and sat up since the alarm clock would wake up Ai.

Uzumaki Ai, his precious and miracle baby girl.

Yes, the loud-mouth, knuckled-headed genin was a parent at the age of twelve. How did this happen one may ask? Well, Naruto doesn't even know himself fully. All he remembered one cold evening was a man who wore a cloak and with a red eye…then he woke up in a hospital. Since this sort of thing wasn't normal, Naruto had kept his child a secret from his peers. Only a handful of people knew of her existence.

Though another person was added to the list recently; Sasuke Uchiha. See, Sasuke had seen Naruto with the baby girl the day before. Naruto had gone to the doctor for his check up for himself and his child's checkup. He was given a required immunization, but he couldn't use his chakra for a few hours, and Naruto had used his Sexy jutsu to take his child to places without being discovered. Sasuke caught him red-handed with his daughter and demanded to know everything.

Naruto got up and did his shadow clone jutsu, a ninjutsu that he found very helpful in the last few months of knowing it. The two clones went to do their jobs; one clone began to make a bottle of formula for him, and the other began making some toast some eggs. The real Naruto went to the crib and picked up his crying child and hushed her softly. When he smelt a dirty diaper, he sighed and took her over to the changing table that was against the wall. He laid her down and did the rest…

Now his baby girl smelt clean and was wearing a clean diaper and her outfit for the day which was a pink dress with a headband that separated her bangs from the rest of her hair. Naruto had softly brushed her tuft of hair, playing with it a bit and making the girl laugh as she sat and clapped her hands. "What do you think Ai? Side bangs or down the forehead?" He asked cutely, but he decided to leave the bangs cover her forehead.

"Bottle's ready!" A clone shouted, and Naruto nodded and picked up the girl and took her to the kitchen table. The clone came over with the bottle, and when he handed it to Naruto, Naruto made him vanish and began feeding Ai, who greedily sucked the bottle down. "I don't starve you, why are you so hungry?" He asked, and when the other clone said that his breakfast was ready, Naruto made him vanish, and he finished feeding the girl until she was full. Once he burped her, he set her down and looked at the time. 6:30. He mentally counted. He usually had to meet with Kakashi-sensei around eight in the morning, though the guy was hours later. He took advantage of that most of the time, though he knew he couldn't miss training since he did that yesterday.

Naruto put Ai to sit down in her high chair, he began to eat his breakfast. Naruto knew that if he wanted to eat, he needed to eat fast and since babies seemed to want a lot of attention. And babies were often very messy creatures.

Throughout the morning of getting ready, Naruto had to get himself dressed and ready for the day, Ai spat up, cried, made another mess in her diaper, had to repack the baby bag for the daycare, and other things. It was hard for a twelve-year-old on his own. By the time he realized he was ready to leave, transformation jutsu on and everything, it was half past eight.

Naruto had to hurry. He grabbed the baby bag, and his ninja pouch with his weapons in it, and his headband. Just when he was about to step out, he always did a check.

Baby bag, check. Ninja pouch, check. House keys, check. Gama money pouch, check. Jutsu, check," Naruto mumbled as he did the check and when he realized he was missing something, he remembered. "Baby!" He went over and picked her up from her changing table and sighed, "Phew, okay we can go," he said and placed her on her sling as he headed out for the day.

"You're late," the day care worker said, and Naruto apologized, though, in his jutsu, he was Natsuko Umino, a distant relative of Iruka Umino who was now a single mother and new ninja to Konoha. He laughed nervously, "Sorry, it was a late start today," he said, and the worker sighed, "I understand it must be hard to adjust alone, but please be more mindful, we have rules for a reason," she said.

Naruto nodded and picked up Ai from the sling, "okay Ai, be a good girl for me. I love you," he said and kissed her forehead. She was handed over to the working who also said, "you won't be late picking her up again, will you?"

"No. I shouldn't have too many missions for today, so it should be fine," Naruto said and waved to his baby once more before he began running off to go meet with his teammates. He poofed out of his jutsu when he was in another alleyway, and no one could see him.

It took him ten minutes of running to make it to the spot where he usually met his teammates. He hopped from rooftop to rooftop until he jumped down and ran to see Sasuke and Sakura on the bridge, waiting for Kakashi-sensei.

He smiled like he normally did for Sakura, "Hey good morning Sakura, what's up?" He asked. Though when he saw Sasuke giving him a strange expression, Naruto's cheeks flushed pink and he returned the look.

Sasuke's mind had been reeling since yesterday when he met the infant. Naruto's baby. He couldn't process that fully, especially seeing how he acted around them. Like an immature kid. He wondered how was he allowed to have a kid if he was a boy, and how was he allowed to raise said, kid. Didn't they take away kids from dangerous situations? Wasn't Naruto raising a kid considered a dangerous situation?

Both of the boys turned their heads away when the tension rose too much.

Naruto fell asleep standing up as they waited for Kakashi-sensei, who was now running two hours late. Sasuke didn't say anything on it, figuring that he probably needed the rest. It was common knowledge that babies needed a lot of care and time into that care, so he imagined Naruto wouldn't be any different than any other parent who had babies.

Except Naruto was alone.

Sasuke then had a horrible thought. _Who watched Ai while Naruto was away?_ He remembered he said something about Iruka being her caregiver, and also Kakashi under special cases. _Was that why Kakashi was always late? Because he was watching Naruto's kid?_

Sasuke scolded at himself. Why did he care? It was none of his business, and she wasn't his baby. He shouldn't be concerned. He wasn't.

"Hey guys, good morning," Kakashi said, waking up Naruto and getting everyone's attention from the pole he was crouching on. "Sorry I'm late, but I'm afraid I got lost on the path of life."

"HUH?" Naruto and Sakura exclaimed.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Either Naruto was a really good actor or Kakashi wasn't watching over his baby after all. He was just late.

Naruto sprang into action, demanding higher level missions. If Sasuke didn't know any better, he would have thought yesterday was a dream. Then when Naruto glared at him once more, getting in a defensive mode, he merely stared at him with an uncaring expression.

"BELIEVE IT!" Naruto proclaimed.

"Let us know when you're done fantasying so that we can start the mission alright?" Kakashi said.

"Right!" Naruto exclaimed loudly.

"Could you not be so annoying Naruto, just for once?" Sakura asked aloud, clearly annoyed.

That day, Sasuke questioned more and more on Naruto abilities not only as a shinobi but also as a parent. Pulling herbs that looked like weeds was one thing, but slipping into the water and nearly falling off the waterfall? That was stupid. Then choosing a large dog that dragged him to a minefield, Sasuke could already imagine Naruto doing something so stupid with that poor baby.

It was almost too much to think about without doing something about it.

As Sakura and Sasuke helped Naruto walk around after the minefield incident, the pink haired girl commented, "look at you. You're hopeless Naruto."

Sasuke smirked, "you really are just one big problem."

That irked Naruto a lot for two reasons. Naruto saw Sasuke as a rival and Sasuke also knew his secret, and when he was criticized like that, it struck him hard. "SASUKE!" Naruto shouted and as he was about to attack the Uchiha, who was walking away now, he was stopped by Sakura. "If you keep this up, I'm going to finish you off myself!"

A sigh could he heard from Kakashi, "guess we're not making a lot of progress on the teamwork thing, huh?"

"That's right, our team work is all messed up because of you Sasuke," Naruto proclaimed. There was more to it than what Naruto had a lead on. Naruto had been distracted that day because he was worried that Sasuke would tell Sakura about his child, or even worse…tell everyone about his child. It was stressful thinking about it! It was like Sasuke had something over him now. Naruto had to play it off as something else, though, "you think you're better than everyone else."

Sasuke had the right of mind to call him out on his bull shit. "Not everyone, just you, face it, I'm better and stronger than you are," he said and stopped walking away, "it's a fact," he turned to face Naruto, "unless you have what it takes to prove me wrong." Sasuke thought about a lot of things, and yet he couldn't get that damn baby out of his head. Was he seeing Naruto in a different light now? As a parent? No. He couldn't afford to see him as such.

Kakashi left them not long afterward, saying something about filing a report on their mission or whatever. Sasuke turned and left, only to be chased down by Sakura, "wait for Sasuke! I'll come with you."

Naruto sighed and then thought to himself, _well if the missions are over for today, then I can pick up Ai early, and we can go to the park. Or should I use this time to do some training? I can't have her around since I don't want her getting hurt._

Naruto looked down when he saw a square box with kids in it. It was so obvious that it was sad. So Naruto played along until he got annoyed and told them that he knew they were in there. It was Konohamaru and his two friends, Moegi and Udon. The Konohamaru Ninja Squad, they called themselves. Naruto sighed a bit. He had a soft spot for them. After all, he had a daughter and soon, she would be a child. And then Naruto realized that he had a baby who would be growing up so fast and grew a bit sad at the thought.

"So, what do you guys want anyway?" Naruto asked, a little irritated.

"You know what we want, you promised to play ninjas with us today," Moegi said, and Naruto groaned a bit. "I don't think I said that," Naruto admitted with a light groan, "besides, I have some things I need to do today," he said.

"Oh yeah, like what?" Konohamaru asked. Naruto looked uneasy, as he couldn't tell them that he wanted to spend some time with his child. They didn't know he had a child. No one really knew.

Sakura came over with a very annoyed expression, looking at Naruto as though he was a strange creature. Naruto flustered a bit from her staring, and he nervously began laughing aloud. Then Naruto got the horrible thought, _what if Sasuke told her about Ai?! That's why she's staring at me like that! She must think I'm a freak or something!_

"Hey boss is this your girlfriend," Konohamaru asked, seeing how flustered Naruto was. Naruto snapped out of his thought and said, "Oh I uh," Sakura punched him before he could even finish that sentence.

"Boss!" Konohamaru exclaimed after he was punched. Naruto's lights were knocked out of him for a few minutes. He had been hit once already by an old lady, and he was exhausted on top of that. His entire day was reeling on him already, and when he woke up, he saw Konohamaru was hit as well.

"She's not normal," he said as Sakura was walking away. The kid turned to Naruto, "did you see how big her forehead is?"

Naruto knew that was the wrong move, and seeing Sakura running back after all four of them was scary. Like a bull running for the red cape.

And things didn't get easier when they met the sand genin, Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara…

When he saw Kankuro pick up Konohamaru as violently and holding him up as he did, he thought he saw his baby, only a child, in that same position.

"_Daddy!"_ He imagined what Ai would sound like at the age of ten, and he heard skipped a beat.

Naruto gritted his teeth and went after the punk who was hurting him. Then when it was Sasuke who saved Konohamaru, he felt worse and even angrier towards the Uchiha. If he couldn't save Konohamaru from this punk, then how could he protect his only daughter.

He knew he needed to get stronger and train more.

After that encounter, Naruto was kneeling down and making sure Konohamaru was okay since he was nearly beaten up by Kankuro. "Are you okay?" He asked, "you got me worried."

"Uh Boss," Konohamaru stopped him, "you're acting like my mom, it's weird," he said, and Naruto backed off, "sorry!" He stood up and scratched the back of his neck, "I just didn't want to hear anything from old man third, ya know?" He laughed off, though Sakura eyed him wearily and Sasuke smirked when he saw how Naruto acted.

_I wonder if Naruto's parental instincts kick in more now?_ Sasuke pondered to himself. _Or if he imagined Konohamaru was Ai at that moment?_

When the day was finally over, Naruto went to the Daycare in his jutsu form and met with an upset babysitter who stayed longer than she wanted to. "I'm sorry! Our missions ran later than usual," Naruto lied, and his child was handed to him. "Enough excuses. If you know you're going on missions, have a family member watch over her or pick her up on time," the lady sounded annoyed. Ai was sleeping sounded still, and Naruto was careful not to jostle her awake.

Naruto placed Ai in her sling to carry her in when he was being lectured, "I know you're alone, but please be more responsible Umino-san," the lady said. "Young mothers do have it rough, I know, but think more of your child more."

Naruto lowered his head, "of course, I will." He bowed and began walked back to the apartment. His body hurt, and he was beyond exhausted. He was glad that no one bothered him while he was in this female form. It was like a vacation from being his true self. He wondered why he hadn't thought of it sooner, especially when going to the store. No one even bothered him.

He walked in the store, Ai in her sling and walked around, picking out some groceries for dinner. He was allowed an allowance from the third Hokage so he could pay rent and other expenses, and his mission money helped him support Ai and get food and clothes, and whatever else she needed.

Naruto finished his shopping and realized that he may have bought too much stuff since carrying it would be a hassle.

"Do you want my help ma'am?" Naruto looked over and saw Sasuke. While many of the passersby saw the Uchiha as being helpful, Naruto saw it as an insult. _How did he even know it was me?_

Still, Naruto did need the help for today.

They walked to his apartment, Sasuke carrying some bags and Naruto carrying a few bags, the baby bag over his shoulder, and Ai at his front. The sun was setting, and when they got back, Naruto realized that he forgot to lock his door that morning.

Once they were inside, Naruto took off the jutsu and looked tired. He went over and put the groceries down on the table and freed Ai from her sling, putting her in her swing to make her fall back asleep since she had woken up.

"Thanks, I guess," Naruto said as he was unbagging everything.

"I didn't do this out of the kindness of my heart, I want some answers," Sasuke said, going over and sitting on a chair as he watched the baby swing back and forth, "do you always put her in the swing?"

Naruto looked over and said, "yeah, she loves it," he said and went to go put the items away, "and didn't I answer enough of your questions? What else do you want to know?" Naruto asked in a huff.

"How can you even raise a baby when you're such a loser for one thing," Sasuke said. "And who's dumb enough to let you even raise the kid? You barely take care of yourself, and someone thought it was smart enough for you to raise a child." Sasuke's words pierced through Naruto. He stopped moving for a moment before he turned and smacked Sasuke across the face.

Even Sasuke was caught off guard.

"You listen here Sasuke," Naruto's demeanor shifted into something scarier than a ninja. He shifted into a mother. "My child will have the best in the world, even if I have to work tooth and nail to get at it. She's well-fed and well-taken care off. You don't know what I go through to make sure my child has everything she needs and wants," Naruto said harshly, giving him a glare that no one had ever seen him give. Messing with Naruto was one thing, he can take all of the abuse he will get in the future, but when someone questioned his parenting or his love for his child, they crossed a deadly line.

Naruto went to the table and finished putting things away, but said, "you can leave."

Sasuke took one last look at Ai and got up, "fine," he left the apartment. As soon as he heard the apartment door close, Naruto shook at the kitchen sink and hung his head. Whether it be from his exhaustion or from today's events, or even from what Sasuke had just questioned him on, Naruto cried. He needed to cry because he knew he could now. All of the hits taken today, all of the feeling low about himself, he could finally let it out.

And he knew Ai would keep it all to herself.

Just before bedtime, Naruto had to give Ai a bath in her plastic tub, and while she liked to splash around in it, Naruto knew she had to be cleaned up. He felt better now, and as he was watched her playing with the bubble, Naruto began, "I had a long day. Yep, the world's greatest ninja's job is never done. I have a few stories to tell you, like how I save three kids from some Sand ninja jerks, or how I saved a dog from some minefields," he said. Ai splashed around in the water, giggling and looking up at her papa with big onyx eyes that were filled with wonder and joy.

Just seeing that smile made his rough day completely worth it.

"Yep, and soon, your daddy will get super-duper strong, and be Hokage, that's top ninja. And we will have a big house, and a lot of money and people will finally recognize me as the great ninja that you see me as " he said and booped her on her nose.

Ai started to make some babbling noises, and Naruto thought it was so adorable. Got up and went to grab the disposable camera that Iruka had given him, "smile," he said and took the adorable, and later would be, embarrassing of nine-month-old Ai, sitting in her plastic tub, covered in bubbles.

That was Naruto's day in a nutshell.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Chapter 2**

I don't own Naruto

**Naruto's Baby** **Chapter 2**

"Chunin Exams! Chunin Exams!" Naruto chirped as he spun around his room and flopped on his bed in a joyful laugh. Earlier that day, he had just received the news that he could participate in the chunin exams, and Naruto was excited to show what all he's made of.

Ai was in her highchair, gnawing on a rubber ball that Naruto had let her play with for the time being.

Naruto laid on the bed and stared at the application form in his hands, and sighed once he calmed down. "The chunin exams. It's a big deal." He sat up and looked at the infant. He went over to her and knelt down a bit, and pet her head softly, "Soon, your daddy will be a chunin, and it will be smooth sailing to being the Hokage after that," he said. He unlocked the tray that held the girl in place and picked her up, "yeppers Ai. I'll be Hokage."

He put her on the ground and walked a bit away, kneeling down, "come on Ai," he said, "you need some training as well, and that is why you'll be crawling to me right now," he clapped his hands, "come on baby, come to daddy!" He said, and Ai merely sat and clapped her hands. Naruto laughed and stopped, "come on baby, come to daddy," he said, and when Ai remained where she was, Naruto sighed "Ai, like this," he said and got on his hands and knees and began crawling around and making the girl laugh at his antics.

"Naruto," it was Iruka's voice as he had opened the front door and saw Naruto crawling on the ground and looking silly. Naruto froze in place, "hey Iruka-sensei," he said and stood up, "you're just in time for training."

"Really? And how are you training?" Iruka asked as he walked in casually.

"I'm not, Ai is," Naruto chimed as he pointed to the infant who was more interested in her foot then crawling at the moment. The baby was holding her leg up and on her back, trying to reach her foot in her mouth as though it was once of her chew toys. Iruka gave a soft chuckle, "looks like she's more interested in other things at the moment," he sat down and had a container for him and smiled, "let's chow down on some Ichiraku Ramen," he offered. Naruto wasn't one to turn down good ramen, so he sat down and grabbed a pair of chopsticks. Iruka gave him his container of Ramen, and as Naruto began to chow down, Iruka looked over at the infant, "how has Ai been doing? She's gotten bigger since the last time I saw her."

Naruto looked over with some noodles hanging out his mouth and said, "not really. You saw her last week, and you watched her while I was on the extended mission not that long ago," he said.

"I mean, she's growing up fast," Iruka said, and Naruto finished his ramen, "I know. She's doubled her size since birth. Renshi told me she's growing at the right pace, but I think it's too slow," he said, and Iruka raised an eyebrow at the comment. "Too slow?"

"Yeah. I mean, Ai is small, but if she were older, she could walk around and take care of herself, it would help me a lot, especially in the mornings," Naruto said. Iruka frowned at that, "you know if you need help, you can come to Kakashi or me, especially me. You know I would help."

Naruto put down his chopsticks and sighed, "I know, and that's why I want to do everything," Naruto said, "I want to spend as much time as I can with her."

Iruka frown and cleared his throat, "I actually came over to talk to you about something," he said, and Naruto stiffen a bit, "what?"

"I heard you're taking the chunin exams," Iruka started, "and the chunin exams can be…brutal, to say the least. They'll get harder the longer you take them, so here's the thing. I'm willing to watch Ai over this week and while you're taking your exam, which will take longer than a week," Iruka said, "so we need to make some arrangements now."

Naruto thought for a moment, pushing away his remaining ramen away from him and said, "the exam starts on July first, so that gives me a week doesn't it to be with my child," he said and looked over, seeing the girl crawling over to his chair. She looked at him with big onyx eyes and a broad smile. Naruto smiled and leaned down and picked her up when she was close. He sat the girl on his lap, and she reached out to get the bowl of ramen, though Naruto was more concern with talking to Iruka, "I can drop her off on June thirtieth and then pick her up whenever I'm done with the exams," he said.

Iruka couldn't tell Naruto what there was to the exam since he didn't know. It changed every year. What he did know was that Naruto wouldn't be able to see his child for a while. "All I know is that if you take the exams, you wouldn't see Ai for a while."

Naruto looked a bit uneasy, but he nodded silently, "I managed to do a long-term mission, so I think I can do some exams quickly enough."

Iruka looked at the infant in Naruto's lap and thought to himself, _for her sake, I hope you can as well._

The next morning, Naruto didn't have to meet with his teammates. He was glad because this meant he had the day to spend with his child. He got up like normal, the routine of taking care of Ai before he walked out in his female form. He walked out with Ai in her sling and headed to the park.

The easy way to get to the park was walking along a particular path through the village. He felt confident since he was in his jutsu after all. No one recognized him as a woman.

As Naruto walked, he overheard some familiar voices. "Can't we go for some barbecue?" He smiled, seeing Choji, Shikamaru, and Ino in their group. He was about to run over and greet them, but he didn't. He remembered that he wasn't Naruto Uzumaki, blonde twelve-year-old, but rather Natsuko Umino, in public, just an ordinary woman with a baby in her sling. He couldn't just run over and greet his friends with a smile. He looked down at the girl in his arms, who was contently sucking on her fist mindlessly. Naruto wished he could go over and be his old self with Ai. No pretenses. No façade to be displayed. He wanted his child to know that it was okay to be out and be herself. Unlike him, who had to pretend to be a woman so that he could be out in public with his child.

Maybe one day, it will be easier.

Naruto turned around and accidently bumped into someone. He stumbled a bit but didn't fall over, "I'm sorry," he said and saw a ninja he didn't recognize. She didn't look friendly either. Long black hair, thick lips, and an uneasy demeanor. The hat she wore bore the village of the rain symbol on it. However, the shinobi merely shrugged it off, "it's fine," she began to walk passed him, "but next time, perhaps you should watch where you're going, you wouldn't want to endanger your child would you, huh Naruto?"

Naruto's eyes widen, and when Naruto turned to question the woman, she was gone.

Paranoia took over as Naruto looked around, holding his child close to him protectively. Someone knew his secret. Someone from outside the village. He looked at Ai once more, seeing her innocent face looking back at him made him relax a little, but he was still very uneasy.

Little did Naruto know, there were two people now watching over him. The shinobi with long black hair, and a leaf ninja with gray hair and glasses, "be especially helpful to that one Kabuto," Orochimaru said, still in disguise, "after all, he has a child to look after. We wouldn't want the baby to be without her mommy now would we?"

"Yes my lord," Kabuto said as he wrote down this information and would be adding it to Naruto's ninja-information card.

_Weakness: His child._

Naruto had taken many pictures that day of his child playing at the park. Swinging and even going down the slide with her, Naruto would dare say that he had a great day with his daughter. Hearing her laugh made his worried fade away.

Soon, the sun was setting, and he had to take Ai home. He put her back in the sling, and the girl was cranky. Naruto hushed his child, "it's okay baby, we're going him, and you can have a bottle," he said. She had drunk up a lot of milk that day, and the baby bag was nearly empty. As he was beginning to walk back home, he heard his name.

"NARUTO!"

He turned just in time to miss Sakura's hit that was heading to him. He clutched to Ai tightly and fell on his bottom. Ai's cries were loud, and while she wasn't hurt, the incident did scare her. Naruto had poofed out of his jutsu and looked up in fear as Sakura looked like she wanted to murder him for some reason.

The girl had seen Naruto in his sexy jutsu and angrily wanted him out of it. Why would be in a woman's form anyways? She hadn't seen the baby or else, she wouldn't have thought it was Naruto in a jutsu at all.

Naruto felt his heart skip a beat, but because his crush was in front of him, but because she had tried to attack him while he was holding his child.

"Why do you have a baby?" She asked as she looked down at Naruto, who was holding the crying infant. Naruto snapped out of his shock to get up and try to calm his crying baby. "Shush Ai, it's okay, You're not hurt," he whispered as she paced around a bit to calm her. Sakura looked disturbed, "did you kidnap that baby?"

Naruto looked at Sakura bitterly, "she's my daughter."

"Just how twisted are you?" Sakura asked. "You really think that you're this baby's father? That's messed up Naruto! Really screwed up!" Naruto tried to ignore her words to comfort his child, but Ai just kept crying. "Just give her back to her mother, and she'll be fine," Sakura scoffed carelessly.

Naruto gritted his teeth and tried to ignore her once more. "Shush baby, I'm here," he said.

Sakura reached out and pulled the child from her sling, "you're doing it wrong," she said, and Naruto's eyes widen as Sakura tried to hush the crying baby she knew nothing about. Ai's cries intensified, and she even began pushing away from Sakura. To Ai, Sakura was a stranger and Naruto hearing her screams even louder made him angry. "SAKURA SHE'S MINE!" He shouted and snatched his child from the pink haired girl.

Naruto backed away several paces and dug in his baby bag, something he dropped when he fell over and pulled out a pacifier for his child. He placed it in her mouth, and Ai fell silent. Her eyes, which were once filled with tears, slowly closed in content. Naruto sighed and kissed her forehead, glad she was unharmed. Then he turned his head to Sakura, who watched with a frighten expression on her face, "…how?"

Naruto straightened up and said, "that's none of your business, you don't deserve to know," he said and walked away from his teammate and held his child. Naruto looked defeated. She had snatched Ai from his arms. Was it that easy to do that? It reminded him that he needed to train harder.

So that no one could ever do that again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Chapter 3**

I don't own Naruto

**Naruto's Baby** **Chapter 3**

The first thing Sasuke noticed was the expression that Sakura had on her face when she came to meet with the team. She had the expression of that of seeing a ghost mixed with confusion. He didn't bother asking her about it since he wasn't interested, but after she arrived and finally worked up the nerve, she began talking. She shook her head and got up to Sasuke, though she still kept her distance from the Uchiha as she knew he hated it when people got close. "Sasuke, I have a question," she began, "does Naruto have a baby?"

He lifted his head, still keeping his face emotionless as possible, "why?"

"Well it's just I saw him using that lame Sexy jutsu, and he had a baby with him, I think it was a girl, and he was really protective of her. He even proclaimed that she was his daughter. Can you believe it? I thought I was dreaming it at first but then earlier I saw him in that same jutsu, walking down the street with that baby again," Sakura said as she remembered just a few minutes ago. "I'm crazy right, I mean there's no way he could be a father to a baby. She must be his cousin or something, right?"

"That is his daughter," It wasn't Sasuke's voice, but Kakashi's and he was standing on his usual pole. Sakura was surprised to see him, as was Sasuke. Kakashi jumped down and walked over, "I guess you two have met Ai-chan, right?" He asked.

"So she is his child? How is that even possible? He's twelve…isn't he?" Sakura questioned.

Kakashi nodded, "yes, it's not something I'm allowed to explain, but he is her parent and has been raising her since even before he became a genin. He's actually not going to show up to practice today because he's making some arrangements for her care," Kakashi said, "Besides, I need to talk to the two of you about some things," he said.

The two knew that he must be serious since he wasn't late, nor did he have the Icha Icha Paradise book with him. Sasuke still had his arms crossed, and Sakura looked intent on listening to the man.

"What I say doesn't leave this squad," Kakashi said, "Only myself, a few selected Jonin, Iruka and the third Hokage know about Naruto's child for her own safety," Kakashi said. "Naruto came to me in private and said that you two found out about her."

Sakura looked over at Sasuke and asked, "how long have you known?" Sasuke didn't answer her.

"Naruto doesn't want anyone to know he has a child either. He doesn't want to be treated any differently because of it. While he loves his child, he still needs to be a kid sometimes, so that's one of the reasons he acts out a lot," Kakashi explained.

_Sure as hell explains why you let him get away with half of the nonsense he does_, Sakura thought to herself bitterly as she crossed her arms as well. She snapped her head when she remembered that Kakashi had said that she was born before they were Team Seven, so that meant she was born while they were academy students?! Her mind tried to process that information and bewildered and disgusted. _Who the hell wanted to have sex with him?!_

Sasuke had that same thought about Naruto…and sex. He shuddered. Yes, they knew about sex, because they needed to know certain things, but he never imagined. He felt sick thinking about it.

"Now, you two need to keep this information to yourselves," Kakashi said, "It wouldn't end well if any of your peers were to find out about his child, and it wouldn't do any favors for Naruto either. Just act like your normal selves around him. He'll appreciate it."

Naruto was walking around in his sexy jutsu when he saw his teammates and Kakashi and overheard what Kakashi had said. He had Ai with him, happily looking at him in her sling. "Kakashi-sensei," Naruto approached in the jutsu. When the gray-haired man turned, he would see Naruto breaking the jutsu and looking tired, and a bit defeated, "that's enough."

He walked over and stood before his teammates. Sakura looked down at the baby in the sling and Sasuke looked at Naruto. "This is my daughter, Ai Uzumaki," Naruto said as he showed her to his teammates. "Yes, I've been a parent longer than we've been a team, but that's not the point anymore," he said.

Sakura growled and shouted, "yes it is! You're twelve years old! What the fuck were you thinking! Having a child at your age! No, having SEX at your age! It's disgusting!"

Naruto's heart swelled up in his chest, and he felt really upset, but he firmly said, "IT WASN'T MY CHOICE!"

Sakura was taken back, and as Kakashi placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, the blonde had looked down at his beautiful child. How she smiled so innocently, but when he saw her eyes, those dark orbs, he looked back up and looked at Sasuke. He shook his head and said, "now you know about her. She's my only family," Naruto said.

"What about the chunin exams?" Sasuke asked suddenly. "Will you still participate?"

Naruto smiled, "of course, I've just made the arrangements, and Iruka-sensei will be watching over her while I take them," he said, and Sasuke smirked, "good."

Sasuke wasn't going to treat Naruto any differently. He was still the blonde-haired knuckle-headed ninja, and Sasuke was still himself. Though he looked down and saw Ai no longer smiling, but rather saw her frowning and holding on to Naruto's jacket. Her cheeks were pink, and her eyes were looked as though they were staring daggers at the Uchiha.

Sakura went over and took a closer look at the infant and stared hard, "she doesn't look like you," she spoke to Naruto as she continued to look down at the girl. Naruto glared at Sakura and huffed, "she's mine baby regardless of who she looks like."

"Is she, though? Maybe she looks like her father, whoever he is," Sakura and Naruto's eyes widen.

Kakashi stepped forward and placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder, "you should stop talking, right now," he said. Sakura looked at her sensei and then back at Naruto, who looked like he remembered something horrible. Naruto's jaw tightened, and he gritted his teeth. He shook his head once, and said, "Ai is my daughter, and I'll always love my daughter." Naruto turned walked away, holding Ai close to his chest and jumped up.

He decided that today wouldn't be a good day for training.

Ai sat in her high chair, playing with a mush of baby food that was spread out on her plastic tray that also kept her in place. Naruto was watching her in his usual chair, and looked really depressed. His arm was resting on the table, and his head was resting on said arm. He wasn't in his orange jacket or wearing his forehead protector like he would when he was in public.

He watched as his child laughed and made a mess. She wasn't harming anyone or endangering herself, so he let her have at it. It was better for her to tire herself out before her nap. Eating wasn't much of an option at the moment. She had her bottle, and while Naruto had been transitioning her to more solid foods, it was a no-go on her part.

And he would have to clean up the mess anyways.

When a bit of food got on his cheek, Naruto moved and looked at his baby straight on. He smiled exhaustedly to his daughter, "I'm sorry Ai you had to meet my teammates like that," he said, and Ai looked over as she was sucking her hands that were once covered with food. Some of the mush was in her hair and had completely ruined her onesie she was wearing.

Even if she couldn't answer back, talking felt good for him because he felt like he was not judged, and talking was helping Ai develop her language skills.

Naruto reached over and offered his finger to the girl. Ai took the finger in her left hand and was back to laughing, which made Naruto feel better.

Seeing his child like this made him happy.

_She doesn't look like you. _Naruto's eyes widened when Sakura's voice came to him, and he pulled away from his baby. In his mind, he saw his baby girl, but behind her was like a dark shadow and emerging from the shadow was a man that have an eye revealing, that was purple with black rings in it and the black comas. It was something Naruto had never seen before. He remembered when he tried to describe it, since that was the only thing that was so significant about his assailant, but he was told that he had to be mistaken, that someone like that couldn't exist.

Naruto held his head as he remembered that man. There were times when his repressed memories would resurface. If he let them come back, then he would be called crazy again.

When he felt something splat on his head once more, Naruto snapped up and saw the infant, laughing and reaching out to him. "You're nothing like that man, are you?" he said and reached back out, and Ai took hold of his finger, laughing and making cooing noises. "No, you're not, you're a good girl," Naruto said.

While Naruto was relieved, he still held that repression within him. He carried a large cloud over him, and he wondered if his child will grow up to be a good person and a great kunoichi, or will she be just like that man who caused her existence?

"Ai," Naruto said softly to his child, "I hope that no matter who you grow up to be, that you remember one important thing," he said and stood up, and walked over to the high chair. He looked at her in the eyes, and while they were as black at the night sky, and his own eyes that were as bright as the day sky, he said, "remember that you are loved. I'll always love you, baby," he said. Tears began to stream down his face. He sometimes wondered if, whoever they were, his parents ever said those words to him when he was a baby.

Well, even if they didn't, he would always say it to his child.

He leaned down and wrapped his arms around his baby, "your papa loves you Ai. Always know that. Even if I can't be with you every day, know that you are loved. That's why you are named Ai after all." As Naruto paused, he realized something else that he hoped for and that made him shed even more tears, "and I hope one day…you'll forgive me…"

Naruto spent the remaining time to taking care of his child. It wasn't until the night before the chunin exams that he dropped Ai off at Iruka's apartment. The man happily accepted the child and wished Naruto luck on the exams, and while Naruto put on a brave face, he was actually nervous but excited none the less.

So when he woke up the next morning without his child, he felt strangely well-rested, not having to wake up in the middle of the night to change diapers or rocking Ai back to sleep, or even waking up early to tend to her needs. It was strangely nice.

He pumped himself up and left his apartment to go forth and to meet Sasuke and Sakura at the exam hall.

When he got there, he saw Sasuke and smirked, "Hey Sasuke! You excited for the exams?" He asked. Sasuke turned to him and said, "you seem well rested, did the baby not wake you up in the middle of the night?"

Naruto took offense to that, "no, she didn't. She's being watched over by Iruka-sensei while I take the exams," he said. "Why do you care anyways?" Naruto asked, and he smirked jokingly at him, "are you jealous that I have a beautiful baby or something?"

Sasuke looked at him like if he was a dumbass and said, "you're twelve years old and have a kid, that's not something to be proud of."

Naruto's playful façade turned into an angry demeanor, "I think I'm doing pretty well considering," he stated coldly. "I have a family now, and she needs me to provide for her."

Sasuke could say a lot of cruel things to hurt Naruto. Very cruel things. Sasuke could point out that if Naruto were to disappear, she wouldn't remember him when she got older. Not even a fragment of him would remain. He could also point out other cruel things. Sasuke was smart to not say these things, though, as he knew it wouldn't do him any favors. He merely spoke, "for her sake, I hope she'll have more brains than you do."

"WHATCHA SAY!?" Naruto got fairly upset like his usual self would be.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

So this chapter will be short, but it does dive into Naruto's thought and fears related to his child. This is also a section where he reflects on certain things and starts putting pieces together.

I don't own Naruto

**Naruto's Baby** **Chapter 4**

There is an unknown strength gained with parenthood. At an early age, Naruto had unlocked it the moment he met his daughter. Her existence has fueled Naruto to follow his goals even more because now he had someone to fight for and someone who would always be rooting for him.

Even if he was haunted by that eye with the commas.

Now, in the second exam to become a chunin, he was in the gut of a giant snake. The tightness was suffocating, the stench of the inner reeked. He pondered if this would be his end…but the mere thought of leaving his daughter and his new friends made him snap out of it and to gain back his inner fire. He burst out of the monster with his shadow clones and sought to go find his friends.

Then he met the real monster…oh he fought him tooth and nail, and even let out some of the demonic nature out to protect Sasuke, but when his stomach was revealed, showing his seal, he struggled even more.

The five-prong seal added his being was enough to knock him out, and everything came out…

_That eye…that man…Naruto didn't know any better…_

_It was a cold day; Naruto remembered that much. He was training by himself, nothing new. Throwing kunai at target was only training, and he was trying to perfect his aim. When he was growing frustrated, he was so upset that he threw a temper tantrum._

_A kunai hit the target, but Naruto hadn't thrown it._

_He turned to see a man in black. He was almost six feet tall, and by the layer of snow that was on his shoulders, Naruto could tell that he had been watching for a while now._

"_Who are you?" Naruto asked as he was amazed at the man. He'd never seen this stranger in the village, and he was also someone who didn't look threatening to him or at least someone who he didn't look like he wanted to hurt him._

_The man approached him and saw the light from the other's left eye. Naruto was amazed at such an eye. When he was close enough, the stranger reached his right arm out and with his two fingers, his middle and index, he tapped Naruto on the forehead, instantly making him faint._

_It was when he next woke that he realized that something had happened…_

_Naruto found himself in the field, close to the playground with Ai. The two were sitting on a blanket, and he was in his sexy jutsu. Ai was smiling like always._

"_Naruto!"_

_He turned and saw his teammates, along with Kakashi, Iruka, and the third Hokage. They were all smiling at him._

"_Why don't you come on over?" It was Sakura shouting that, waving at him and smiling. Naruto smiled and stood up, and as he took that first step, he had stepped out of the Natsuko form as though he was freed. He turned and saw the form as though it was a dead body, laying on the ground. The park scenery had died along with it. Dead grass and the brown earth showed now instead of the lively green color with the flowers._

_Naruto turned and saw the shadowed figured, picking up Ai, who was obvious to him being a threat just as he was. "You're such a loser," The man morphed, aging down and Naruto's eyes widen. He was Sasuke, holding his child. "Do you think you can raise a child when you can't even defeat me?"_

"_GIVE HER BACK!" Naruto screamed as he ran to them, but it seemed as though he was only running in place. Sasuke turned back and had his sharingan out, "you're such a loser." He said, but as the word loser was echoed in the air, it changed from "loser" to "lose her."_

_Naruto covered his ears and crouched down to the ground, trying to ignore those words. They were so haunting because that was his greatest fear; of losing his child. It seemed like everyone who claimed to want to help only wanted to take her away from him. Iruka. Kakashi. The third Hokage. But Naruto deepest fear was a purple-eyed man would come back and take her away…_

_Naruto suddenly heard his baby's cries and jolted up, and saw her sitting, her back to him and crying. He instantly ran over to her and picked her up, "there, there, Ai, Papa has you," he cooed, but his eyes widen in fear when he saw her eyes. They weren't her natural onyx, but they were the same purple with the six tomoe and rings in them._

_They were his eyes._

"_She doesn't look like you," Sakura's voice rang out in echoes along with her laugh._

_Naruto clung to his baby and held her tight, crying as he suddenly felt pains in his head…_

Naruto woke up screaming as he whacked on the head. He didn't know where he was at first, but being surrounded by the forest made him remember. He was still in the chunin exams. He took a massive sigh of relief, ignoring the pain in his head.

He looked over and saw Shikamaru and Choji, who looked annoyed, "about time you woke up."

"Yeah, you were moaning in your sleep to which is even more annoying than dealing with you awake," Shikamaru complained.

Naruto quickly ignored them as he looked around and suddenly remembered that grass ninja. "Quick! Everyone hide!"

Everyone expect his teammates looked at him like the dumbass they knew him to be.

He looked over and saw Sakura's hair shorter and a choppy mess, and ran over to see if she was okay, which she was. Ino offered to help fix her hair, and while they went at a distance, Naruto was left with Sasuke. He remembered his nightmare…and scoffed, not noticing how Sasuke was holding his shoulder, trying to hide the newly obtained curse mark.

Naruto looked back at Sasuke and stared at him intently. Then he thought about Ai. Yes, she had dark eyes, but those were common to half, wasn't it? Maybe the eye shape resembled his? No, Naruto noted her's were rounder, like his own. Skin tone was the same, but that can quickly change when she got older. It wasn't until he thought about Ai's face-shape and compared it to Sasuke's that he seriously wondered.

And he saw Sasuke with the sharingan; those were uncommon. He knew that was a kekkei genkai and passed genetically.

But he knew Sasuke couldn't be related to Ai…could he?

Sasuke noticed Naruto staring at him, and tried to snap him out of it, which took a smack to the head to get him out of his deep thinking. "I think I can smell your brain being fried," Sasuke said as he tried to act his usual self around him if only to make sure that Naruto didn't notice the curse mark.

Naruto held his cheek, where he was hit, and looked at Sasuke with sad, but fearful eyes. "You…don't happen to have an older brother, do you?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke's eyes widen when Naruto asked that and demanded to know, "why?"

Naruto looked away, "no reason."

Naruto got up and watched everyone else leave, and Sakura was coming over with her hair fixed to look better than before. She noticed the tension between the two now, and turned to Naruto, "what did you do now? I was only gone for five minutes."

"I didn't do anything," Naruto defended and huffed, "come on, let's go find ourselves another scroll," he said. His mind was heavy, though, thinking about his child, and wondered if she held the same genes as an Uchiha.

He shuddered at the thought.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

I don't own Naruto

**Naruto's Baby** **Chapter 5**

The uneasiness between Naruto and Sasuke seemed to have grown larger between them since Naruto questioned if he had a brother. Though they worked together as teammates during the second exams, especially with the edition of Kabuto of the group, there was still that drift. Naruto had also noticed the pain Sasuke seemed to be in physically, though he didn't say anything. Raising a baby, Naruto's vigilance had increased, even when he was acting a fool for appearances. It was easy to see the waves of pain and the moments when Sasuke would go completely stiff when he activated his sharingan.

Naruto just remained quiet. He didn't want to make the forming gap between them even wider and harder to bridge.

They defeated the grass ninja and made it to the tower with their scrolls, and now, it was just the three of them. When Iruka was the one who appeared from the scrolls via summoning jutsu, he was relieved, but a question popped into his head.

Iruka was explaining the scrolls, but Naruto asked, "why are you not with Ai? Is she at the daycare then?" He asked in concern.

Iruka stiffened when he asked the question in front of his teammates, "well uh…yeah, she in daycare." Iruka said, though the tone of his voice nearly gave him away. Naruto noticed and asked, "why are you acting funny?"

"I just didn't know that Sasuke and Sakura knew about her," he said, and Naruto squinted his eyes at that, crossing his arms, "Yeah, they know." Naruto had a bad feeling, but he thought it was probably because he was hungry.

Iruka didn't have the heart to tell him the truth just yet…

Now, they were among the teams who had passed and things were moving along slowly. Naruto could overhear Sasuke and Sakura talking, but his mind was elsewhere. He thought about his baby. He hoped she was okay, and that she didn't cry a lot while he was gone.

Then the idea of that man coming back came back to his consciousness.

He shook his head and tighten his fists because he had to forget about him. He had to try at least. He couldn't be distracted right now. There was going to be a primarily around of one on one combat soon.

The first match was between Sasuke and some guy named Yoroi, and Naruto cheered for his teammate like anyone should, and within his usual loud behavior. He was just glad to see that Sasuke and he would have the chance to fight, once he'd win his match!

Orochimaru had just learned something very interesting. He honestly thought it couldn't be any more perfect. He looked over Naruto's ninja info card, complimentary from Kabuto, and read the new information.

Though the sanin decided to pay Kakashi a visit, and he knew that he was sealing Sasuke's curse mark, or at least, making an attempt. Orochimaru knew Sasuke's true path was darkness, and that mark was his way of making him crave more of it.

When Kakashi had sealed the mark, and Sasuke had passed out, Orochimaru made his presence known. "My, how you've grown," Orochimaru spoke and sent shivers down Kakashi's spine. "To think that you've become strong enough to perform the curse-sealing jutsu."

"You…Orochimaru." Kakashi turned around to face the man.

"Long time no see, Kakashi," Orochimaru smiled sickly at him. "No offense Kakashi, but I didn't come to see you. My business is with that boy behind you."

"What do you want with Sasuke?"

Orochimaru laughed softly at the assuming question, "you've acquired something new. How I envy your good fortune. I don't believe you had it the last time we met, did you?"

Kakashi stiffened at the comments Orochimaru was making, knowing exactly what he was talking about. "The gift. The sharingan in your left eye. It's only fair that I should want it too. The Uchiha power."

"And Sasuke is one of your pawns?"

"Oh, not a pawn. He's a far more valuable piece than that. But as for the others, well you know how it is in a game of chess…pieces must be sacrificed." Orochimaru started to approach, and when he took a step too close, Kakashi got into position and started to use his Chidori. "Stop! Don't come any closer." He said as his jutsu was powering up. "I don't care if you're a sanin, one of the three legendary shinobi. Take one more step and one of us will die here."

Orochimaru had stopped, was mildly surprised, but began laughing, "poor Kakashi, your noble efforts are all in vain."

"What?"

"Do you really think that seal of yours will hold? You think you can keep him from what he truly desires? You know I'm right, a heart like his only hungers for one thing will not be denied no matter what obstacles you'll put in his path. He's an Avenger, isn't he?" Orochimaru said.

"You think you can take advantage of that?" Kakashi asked bitterly. "Not Sasuke."

"You can't stop it. At one point, he'll come to me." Orochimaru said. "And if not him. If I just happen to be wrong in my assumptions, I know there is another who can take his place." He started off with a smirk, "she may be young now, but soon she'll grow, I know it," Orochimaru said.

Kakashi's eye narrowed, "who? No one else has the sharingan."

"Don't be too sure about that Kakashi. Perhaps I'll take her now and raise her as my own," Orochimaru said and laughed, "after all, a twelve-year-old jinchuriki boy shouldn't be a parent after all."

Kakashi's eyes widen, knowing exactly now who he was referring to. On instinct, he charged. "YOU BASTARD!"

Orochimaru vanished and was nowhere in sight, for he was gone but his evil laughter echoed in the halls.

Kakashi sighed in relief when Orochimaru vanished, but he felt that shiver crawling down his spine. He looked very sick at the moment, though it was hidden well behind his mask. Not only did he know about Ai but he thought that Ai is an Uchiha. Kakashi could laugh because it sounded so ridiculous. There wasn't any-

Then it hit him.

Kakashi turned and saw Sasuke's unmoving form, "Itachi didn't...did he?" He picked up Sasuke and had him taken to the hospital, and had him admitted.

While he was at the hospital, Kakashi went to check on another patient. During the second exam, Ai had gotten really sick. One the third day of the exam, she had gotten a summer cold, as well as developed rashes around her lips, hands, and feet. Iruka took her to the doctor and saw that she was burning up, and it wasn't just a cold. Iruka had been with her the entire except when he was summoned after the exam. Ai was sleeping at the moment in an isolated room, and Iruka watched from the window. Ai laid on a bed with metal rails raised up just enough so she wouldn't roll off them, and was laying on her front side.

"How is she?" Kakashi asked.

Iruka turned to see the man and said, "she still has a fever, and the rashes won't go away for a bit. They said it the hand-and-foot-mouth virus. She caught it at daycare more than likely," Iruka said, sadden for the child who was sleeping.

Kakashi looked at her and said, "she'll be okay. She's a tough girl after all." He said and placed a hand on Iruka's shoulder, "go get some rest. She's not going anywhere and-"

"You have to go back to the exams…someone has to be there for Naruto," Iruka said, and Kakashi sighed, "you didn't tell him."

"I couldn't, he would be forfeit the exams and he deserves to have this chance to try," Iruka said.

"He would quit the exams just to make sure she was okay," Kakashi said. "I'll tell him after his round, he does need to know," Kakashi said and began to head back to the exams. Iruka watched over the sleeping infant like a hawk, knowing that he had to be there for her.

Though eventually, even hawks have to rest…

Iruka stepped away for a single minute to use the bathroom, and it was during this time that Kabuto had seen his opportunity. He walked in and looked down at the infant, sleeping so innocently. He smiled down at the child, "let's see is your papa's suspicions are true," he whispered. He raised her sleep of her onesie, and with a syringe, he poked the girl, drawing some blood.

As soon as she felt the pain, she woke up and started crying. Kabuto stored the blood away and vanished before Iruka came back and ran inside the room when he heard the baby crying. "Ai, what's wrong?" He asked even though he knew she couldn't answer him. He picked her up, rocking her when he noticed the bit of blood seeping from the syringe. His eyes widen, fearing the worse such as poison. A shinobi could easily try to kill her if they knew whose child she was. "NURSE! NURSE!"

"We've run her blood, and it's clean," Renshi assured Iruka. He sighed and placed a hand on his chest. "Phew, when I saw the blood, I assumed the worse."

"It was probably a nurse who drew some blood," Renshi said as she sat in her office and in front of her computer. She got up and went over to her file cabinet and after some searching, she pulled out Ai's file and began to write down some notes, "I'll mark her admission since no one seemed to have done so," she said and began writing a note. Iruka glanced down at the file and tilted his head when he saw something he didn't know.

"It says Ai's blood type is AB?" Iruka commented, and Renshi looked over, "yeah, is that a problem?"

"Well I thought she would have type B blood, like…you know, Naruto," Iruka said with a nervous laugh.

Renshi looked at the file and read over, "her last visit, we drew some blood and saw it was AB, though Naruto hadn't been notified of it just yet. Since we don't know the parental blood sample, her chances of having this blood type is unknown, but he would be either A or AB blood." The doctor said, and that reminded her of something, "Kakashi came to me a bit ago and asked for a DNA test for her, do you have any suspicion as to why he would request that?" She asked. Iruka was baffled by that since he didn't know.

"Maybe he has a lead on who…hurt Naruto," Iruka guessed.

"Perhaps. Though maybe he's concern with a potential kekkei genkai," Renshi pointed out. Iruka blinked and asked her to repeat the last part. "We can determine if a child is part of a line with a kekkei genkai before it's activated. It's called Ancestry DNA and its fairly new technology but if we can isolate certain genetic markers and have them on record within our system, we can potentially find Ai's paternal family," Renshi said.

Iruka was both amazed and upset that Kakashi would even look into this. He doubted that Naruto would know about this at all. He needed to question Kakashi about why he's doing this. Hadn't they all agreed to let Naruto decided to peruse this, or Ai when she was older?

What was Kakashi thinking?

Kabuto had come back with the vile of Ai's blood. "I have it right here," he said as he handed it to Orochimaru. The snake man smiled and looked at the blood, "perhaps this is all just a fool's chase, and she isn't anything but the brat of a kid," Kabuto commented.

Orochimaru looked at Kabuto and smirked, "were you wrong then? Do you doubt yourself?"

"I doubt that Naruto even knows," Kabuto said, "even if she isn't an Uchiha, having the offspring of a jinchuriki would be a valuable asset to us once she's trained."

"In any case, I'll task you with abducting Sasuke. It seems Naruto's influence on him during out match as really struck a chord with him. He fights as though he'll die carelessly."

"And you think Naruto would make him think otherwise? I suppose striking while they're at odds is a good time as any."

"Excellent. Oh and Kabuto," Orochimaru chimed, "make sure that you make an info card on the baby, if she is going to be a backup plan, I'll need to know everything about her, won't I?

The primary rounds had finished, and Naruto was just told by Kakashi in secret that Ai was in the hospital. Needless to say that Naruto bolted over faster than anyone could actually stop him. He made it there in record time, and when he went to the front desk, he demanded, "where's my baby's room!"

"Excuse you kid!" The nurse said. "Aren't you a little young to have a kid?"

"I WANT TO SEE MY DAUGHTER! HER NAME IS AI UZUMAKI!" Naruto screamed in her face, and she said, "I'll call security to remove you from the grounds!"

"Whatcha say?!" Naruto said angrily. Kakashi stopped him and said, "Naruto! This a hospital. Have some respect."

Naruto turned and saw Kakashi coming over, following behind him. "Kakashi-sensei, tell this bitch that I want to see my child right now!"

"Naruto," he said sternly and cleared his throat, "I'm sorry about my student, he's got a rude mouth on him," he apologized to the nurse. Dr. Renshi was walking toward the desk with Iruka with her, and Renshi said, "it's okay. He can pass."

As they walked, Iruka hit Naruto on the head, "you're supposed to be in your jutsu."

"And you're supposed to tell me things like this, and you didn't!" Naruto argued back, "you could have told me when you first saw me after the second exam."

Iruka looked guilty, "I know, but I wanted to give you a chance to continue on in the exam. So, did you pass?"

"Yeah, and I'll be in the third round next month," Naruto said with some uneasiness. How could he be happy when his child was sick?He couldn't.

When they reached Ai's room, Naruto smiled since she was sitting up. He rushed in and hugged his baby, "I missed you!" He said and hugged her, though Renshi was very concern. "Naruto wait! She's contagious! Be careful!"

"He doesn't get sick, so he's fine," Kakashi said with a laugh.

"Yeah but he's been outside for days, and she's not only contagious, but her immune system is weak at the moment!" Renshi said and had to step in, "at least wash your hands! They're so dirty!"

Iruka looked over to Kakashi and said, "I know you're doing a DNA test on Ai. Why?"

Kakashi looked over and said, "It's…complicated."

"Isn't everything complicated anymore?" Iruka asked.

"Not that," Kakashi pointed out, and Iruka looked over. In that hospital room, Naruto was holding his child, and the two Uzumakis were smiling happily, back in each other's presence. Iruka smiled at the reunion.

A mother's love was never complicated.

Later that night, Renshi had just gotten the DNA results back after testing Ai's saliva. She hadn't even opened them yet when she walked into her office and saw Ai's file missing from her desk. Before she could even turn around, she felt a cut on her neck, and blood squirted out. Her neck had been sliced, and the file from her hand was taken.

She died nearly instantly.

The shinobi responsible jumped out of the open window and in the dark of night, met with his master.

"Did you get the files?" Orochimaru asked.

"Here they are," Kabuto said and gave the folders to Orochimaru. The man opened and read through them with amusement. There was a record of her birth, including how she was born via c-section and suppressing seals for the Kyuubi, the date of birth, location, and everything else between then and now. Orochimaru closed that file and opened the next one, and his sadistic smile increased, and he began laughing.

"She has it! She has the sharingan in her genes! She is an Uchiha!" Orochimaru chimed. "And her mother has the chakra of the Kyuubi syncing in his charka, which means the odds of his offspring possessing stamina and strong chakra is high!" He said delightfully.

Kabuto looked rather surprised, "there are only two Uchiha's left…and one of them is a kid. So the other would have to be...Itachi's?"

"Itachi Uchiha…seems like he's been a rather bad man. He's created the ultimate body for me and doesn't even know it!"

"What about Sasuke?" Kabuto asked.

"I'll still have him, and when his body is no longer of use to me, I'll use her and create more sharingans!" Orochimaru said and laughed louder. He looked back down at the baby photo of the child, "you sweet girl, you've given me a bright future to look forward to."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

I don't own Naruto

**Naruto's Baby** **Chapter 6**

"She was murdered?" Kakashi asked the medical ninja. The man nodded, "I'm afraid so, and it appears as though some of her files." Kakashi's eyes narrowed a bit, having an idea of what was missing, "can you look up a patient's file for me. Ai Uzumaki," Kakashi asked, and the medic shook his head, "I'm sorry, but her office is a crime scene for a while longer, if any files are missing, we will have to look up their records on the computer."

Kakashi gritted his teeth behind his mask, but then thought to ask, "I had a request for a DNA test from her, can I have those results please?"

The medic looked uneasy, "we gave her the results last night, but those are missing as well, I can see if there is a copy but if there isn't, we'll have to run another test," he said. Kakashi nodded and thanked the man, "I'll be back tomorrow, but if you still don't have the results by then, please deliver them to Umino Iruka," he said and headed out.

_If Renshi was murdered, then I have a bad feeling that it was because of Kabuto. _Kakashi had a run in with the spy yesterday, and he was after Sasuke. He knows he's a spy for Orochimaru.

And Kakashi had a feeling that Ai was in danger.

"YOU WANT TO DO WHAT NOW?!" Iruka asked in surprised.

"I want to take Ai with me," Kakashi said.

Naruto, Iruka, and Kakashi were in Ai's hospital room. Naruto looked at him warily and asked, "why? Aren't you planning on training Sasuke? You can't exactly babysit and train Sasuke…can you?" He asked.

"I can, and I will," Kakashi said, "I found out that the daycare will be closed for a while due to the same virus Ai caught going around the daycare," Kakashi said before his turned his head to Iruka, "You're a full-time instructor who does late lessons with students." Kakashi then turned to the blonde, "and Naruto, you're doing training with Ebisu and while he is one of the few jonin who knows of Ai's existence, we both think that she'll be a distraction for you," Kakashi said.

Naruto's eyes widen when heard those words. His eye twitched, "Did you call my child a distraction?" Naruto asked in a low tone of voice.

Kakashi looked uneasy for a moment, but he stood his ground without wavering, "you promised that you would work twice as hard as any other student when you had her, and yet you're behind on fundamentals. You need to know those before you can excel, once you master those, you'll be more open for extra training and specialized jutsus," Kakashi informed him.

"Then why don't you train me?! I want you to train me!" Naruto said.

"I can't train both you and Sasuke and babysit Ai at the same time," Kakashi informed. Naruto huffed and said, "If you don't train me, then you don't get to watch Ai," Naruto said. Naruto was still very concerned about his child's health, and she was awake and watching the adults from where she laid on the bed. Naruto was her mother, and he would stand his ground for his child's well-being.

Kakashi looked at Naruto and said, "while you are her parent, you forgot that you also assigned Iruka and me as her Godparents and legal guardians for special occasions. Training for the chunin exams is one of those occasions Naruto. It'll just be a month, and then you'll have all of the time in the world with her," Kakashi said as he tried to put Naruto at ease. "Besides, you want to get strong for her don't you? To be Hokage? Ebisu practically makes hokages with his training," Kakashi said.

While Naruto was mature when it came to his daughter, he was immature when it came to himself.

Iruka was still uneasy when it came to this situation. His eyes harden on Kakashi's figure, and he asked, "did you ever find out Kakashi?"

Naruto looked over to Iruka, and Kakashi gave him a stern expression, "I don't know, but I have an idea," Kakashi said. Naruto was confused, "find out what?"

"Who Ai's father is," Iruka said. Naruto's eyes widen in fear, and he turned to Kakashi. "What is he talking about?"

Kakashi looked down at Naruto and sighed, "she'll need to know for the future…after all, it takes two to make a child," Kakashi said, and Naruto backed away from him. "Then…who?"

"We don't know. Still, Ai's results don't come in until later today if they still have a copy," Kakashi said, and Iruka was upset with Kakashi. "We agreed not to seek this out."

"Things have changed Iruka. Bad things," Kakashi said firmly.

"What bad things?" Naruto asked. He looked over when he felt a tug on his sleeve and saw it was Ai, who was wanting attention. Naruto picked her up and sighed, hugging her close to his chest as she sat on his lap. Kakashi looked uneasy, "I'm not confirming anything, there is nothing to prove, but you need to train, and Ai needs to be watched over. Sasuke's training won't start for a while, so don't worry about her being hurt," Kakashi said. Naruto's eyes twitched. "Kakashi-sensei…tell me why my daughter is in danger."

"Yeah Kakashi, why?" Iruka sided with Naruto. Just as Kakashi was feeling the pressure, there was a knock on the door, and it was the medic from earlier. "Excuse me Kakashi-san," the doctor said, "but I do have your results."

Naruto turned to the medic and said, "are those Ai's DNA results?"

"Yes, we are not able to fully identify her father, but we were able to trace her paternal genetics for any markers that match with anyone in our system," he said and handed the folder to Kakashi. "Thank you," Kakashi said, and when the medic left, Kakashi opened the sealed envelope and read them.

His grip tightened on the paper.

"Kakashi?" Iruka spoke and went to look at the results for himself, and Kakashi sighed, "it's worse than I feared."

"What? What's wrong?" Naruto demanded to know.

Kakashi looked at Naruto, and the sudden image of a certain Uchiha appeared behind him like a shadow. He only wondered why he would ever do such a thing. "Ai shares DNA that indicates a particular kekkei genkai," Kakashi said. "And one that Sasuke shares."

Naruto's eyes squinted a bit as he tried to figure out what that meant, but then he asked, "so…does that mean that Ai and Sasuke are…related?" Once he said the sentence out loud, his eyes widen. He took a closer look at his daughter. Despite her red bumps around her lips, covering her hands and feet, Naruto only saw himself in his daughter. Then he noted her differences.

Her onyx eyes. Her pale skin. She even had a widow's peak.

Iruka's shock was just as large as Naruto's. "How can that be? The only two Uchiha's alive are Sasuke and…his brother Itachi."

Naruto's eyes turned away from Ai and asked, "who's Itachi?"

"Naruto, he's the reason why Sasuke is the only Uchiha in Konoha," Iruka said. Naruto got terrified, "so…if he's the long haired man…he's the one who…and that means…." Naruto's voice only got deeper the more he realized that he might have identified who his rapist is. A cold shiver went down his spine, and he suddenly saw his child, whom he loves so much, in a different light.

He only saw _his_ eyes instead of his child's.

Naruto grew speechless, and he struggled to find the words that would deny all of that. He had agreed to himself that if he ever found out, he wouldn't care. So now that he knew, why did it hurt so much to know? He felt a tightness in his chest. An unspoken pain that he thought he was over now. Just when he thought he was getting his life together, the actual demons within him, not the Kyuubi, was clawing within his mind. "I…I think I need to go," Naruto said as he stood up and placed Ai down on the bed. He hesitated before giving her a kiss on her forehead. "I'm going to go train, so you can watch over her Kakashi-sensei," he said and left the hospital room, not turning back.

Iruka tried to stop him, but Naruto just wanted to be alone. He hugged his arms close to himself as he began thinking about that night. The lack of memory hurt a little, but knowing his assailant's name only seemed to increase the pain.

Sasuke's brother; Itachi.

Naruto stopped and realized that he hadn't visited Sasuke. Sure he wasn't allowed visitors, but he could sneak in. He turned that idea away. Naruto didn't think he could visit Sasuke at the moment knowing what he did now.

Naruto did need his space.

Instead of Ebisu, Naruto began his training with Jiraiya, and he often went back and forth for training. Naruto would admit that his apartment felt empty without Ai's laughs or cries. Even when she slept, she had a soft snore that was easily heard in the dead quiet. He knew she was safe with Kakashi, but he shouldn't have just left like that.

No matter what, she was his daughter, his only family. Naruto treasured Ai. The few days he hadn't seen her had been tearing him apart. He missed his cuddly baby girl. Naruto had noticed that whenever it was just the two of them, she had a special way of clinging to him. Not to mention she was sick at the moment, and she needed him.

As soon as visiting hours were opened, Naruto got up and transformed into Natsuko and headed to the hospital. He would be taking his child damn it with him to train, and he would spend as much as he could with her.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but your child was checked out earlier. I was told that you were on a mission, and one of her legal guardians had come to pick her up," the nurse said, reading the information off from the clipboard.

Naruto wanted to choke this woman.

"Which one of the men took her?" Naruto growled in the woman's body. If it were Iruka, he would feel better, but if it were Kakashi…he wouldn't know where he'd taken her.

The woman looked at the release form and said, "Hatake Kakashi," she said and showed him the form. Naruto immediately screamed in a fury. "DAMN IT!" He ran out of the hospital and would be going on a manhunt for the man. If Naruto ever wanted to kill someone, it would be now.

Naruto, still in his Natsuko form, went through the village, running to the usual places. Iruka's place was empty, and he was teaching, and when he went to the academy, he asked where Kakashi was, and Iruka had no idea that Kakashi had already taken Ai out of the hospital. "We were planning on picking her up later today, but not until in the afternoon and we were going to get you. I can't believe Kakashi would do this."

"He's a dead man when I get a hold of him!" Naruto said in a fury that Iruka's only seen once, and this was when he finally graduated from the academy after the Mitsuki incident. "Na-" Iruka started and reached out to touch Naruto, but when his hand landed on his shoulder, Naruto grabbed it and said, "don't touch me right now," Naruto warned and his gripped was tight. He threw Iruka's hand off him and Iruka was…scared. Naruto turned to him, even in his female form, he was terrifying. In fact, Iruka thought he looked even more scary, for, in this form, Naruto actually looked like a mother.

"If you see him, let me know, and take Ai away from him," Naruto said and headed off to look some more.

Naruto continued his search, and just as he was walking through the village, he had the unfortunate timing of running into a particular white haired sannin. Jiraiya was flirting with yet another woman and was failing miserably. The old man turned to Naruto, who's in his Natsuko form, and smiled, "Hey little lady," he went over, "why the grimace expression on your face."

Naruto growled and grabbed him, pulling him in, "BECAUSE A RAT BASTARD TOOK MY CHILD YOU PERVY SAGE!" He screamed in his face and let him go. Jiraiya realized it was Naruto and sighed, "Okay kid, come with me," he grabbed him by the shirt and dragged him along the streets.

Naruto tried to pull away, but he ultimately couldn't fight off Jiraiya's strength.

When they stopped by the training ground, Naruto was let go. "Pervy Sage, I don't have time for training. I don't know where my child is! I'm worried about her." He said, but Jiraiya held him back, "no, use this anger, and control it. You're training officially starts now, and I'll be teaching you the technique I was telling you about.

Naruto felt conflicted. He poofed out of his sexy jutsu and grimaced, "but I need to-"

"Your daughter will be okay with Kakashi. He's watched her before, hasn't he? Besides, I'm in close contact with him, so if anything happens, I'll let you know." Jiraiya said. Naruto's eyes widen, and he said, "where is she? How is she? Does she have medicine? She's been sick! She should have me around!"

"NARUTO!" Jiraiya snapped at him angrily. "Focus. This was why Kakashi took her," Jiraiya stated boldly. "You need to focus, and Ai is a distraction."

"She's my child!" Naruto shouted at him. "My child is not a distraction!"

"Yes, she is! You need to focus on your training if you want to become stronger. To protect her? To achieve your dreams?"

Naruto was very conflicted and gritted his teeth. It reminded him of when Ai was a newborn, and he had the long nights with just her. The lack of sleep was affecting his training and going to class. The third Hokage and Iruka were threatening to take his only family away because they knew he couldn't raise her alone. Naruto remembered running away childishly and hiding in the forest with her and how he held her close, whispering how much he loved her. He also recalled the pain he was in due to his C-section staples being ripped when he ran. He had promised that no one would ever take away his baby so long as he lived. Naruto also remembered how he had promised to let Iruka and Kakashi to watch over her when he was training.

It still made him feel uneasy.

Naruto let out his frustrated tears that had been building up for a while. He covered them with his arm sleeve, "I just…I just need to know she's safe."

Jiraiya placed a hand on his shoulder, "she is…she's okay…now let's start your training."

Kakashi was in Sasuke's apartment. Since the Uchiha district was no longer livable, Sasuke lived by himself in a small apartment, though newer than Naruto's apartment. It was more modern but very dull. Kakashi was going to pack some things for Sasuke since they would be training for a while in seclusion. Sasuke would need some clothes after all.

Kakashi freed the girl and placed her on Sasuke's bed. Ai was sitting up and was trying to suck her thumb but found her hand covered with socks, so she sucked on them. Those were on her on her hands to help her hands recover from her earlier sickness.

Kakashi found a duffle bag, and as he was going through Sasuke's belongings, he found his photo album. Kakashi picked it up and turned to Ai, "I didn't think Sasuke was one for mementos," he said to the girl with a smile, though it was hidden behind his mask. He gave the girl a sad expression when he thought about her being of the Uchiha descent. Curiously, he opened it and looked through and saw some baby photos of Sasuke. He looked back at Ai, check on her to make sure she didn't roll off the bed, but as he did so, he really saw the resemblance. His eye when back and forth between one particular photo of Sasuke at a few months old. Sasuke looked like such a happy baby. Adorable as well.

Kakashi looked over at Ai and noted Sasuke and Ai's similarities. While Ai did have pale skin, it was gaining color to be a healthier tone, though it would be pale. The skin actually matched the photo's version of Sasuke. Kakashi also noticed that Ai's hair was growing to the thick. Naruto didn't really have thick locks, but he knew Sasuke's hair was thick, even when spiked back. The eye color was a bigger factor as her eyes were a solid onyx color, just like Sasuke's. Itachi's were like that as well, and Itachi had thick hair…or was it a bit thinner than Sasuke's? Baby Sasuke and Ai had the same head shape as well and the same two red circles on the keeps, though many infants had that redness in their cheeks. Ai's eyes shape was a bit different, but she inherited Naruto's eye shape. Hair color was definitely different as Ai was a blonde haired child, same as Naruto. Though is Kakashi didn't know any better, he could swear that Ai could have been Sasuke's sibling, at least from what these photos looked like.

Or his child.

Kakashi put that thought aside and looked at Itachi's photo. While in this picture he was a bit older, they would be able to tell the difference.

While Itachi and Ai had similarities, it wasn't as prominent as it was with Sasuke. "Either you look like your uncle or Sasuke is your father Ai-chan," Kakashi said in a joking manner to the child. Ai looked up from her gnawing. Kakashi knew she was teething still and sighed, "If Sasuke is your father, then I'm a puppy's uncle," he said and but the photo album away and finished packing. Ai made cooing noises since soon, she would be learning how to speak, or at least that was her milestone anyways.

Kakashi knew that Sasuke couldn't be Ai's father.

Then, why did that thought stay in his head?

Kakashi brought Ai to the area where he would be training Sasuke. Though if Naruto saw what he was doing, climbing the mountain with one hand with an infant on his back, Naruto would end up murdering the man he called sensei. Ai was oblivious to the fact that her life was hanging in the balance should Kakashi slip up.

Which he almost did.

When he almost fell from the cliff, Ai felt his body jolt, and she looked down. The movement scared her, and she began to cry. Kakashi tried to hush the girl, but he needed to get to the top. He unlocked the first gate of his body and made a daring leap upwards to closer. Ai still cried, and the movement of jump upward didn't help her.

Sasuke, who was at the top first, looked down. "You're late."

Kakashi laughed and managed to get to the top. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and asked, "why do you have Naruto's daughter?" Kakashi smiled behind his mask and said, "I'll explain but can you unlatch her from my back please?" He asked as the squalling infant continued her screams.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, but he did what he asked and freed the baby girl from the holder. Ai instantly snuggled up to Sasuke, shaken up from what just happened. Kakashi watched and now that he saw Sasuke holding Ai, he saw a greater resemblance between the two.

"I have something to tell you before we get started," Kakashi said, "but first, let's set up camp. I brought you some clothes," he said, but that duffle bag was on a scroll, along with other supplies, and they were in his ninja pouch.

As Kakashi set up most of the camp, Sasuke looked at the infant in his arms and felt very awkward. Yes, she did quiet down, but this was the first time he ever held a baby. He held her out when he felt that she was too close, and the girl looked like she was about to cry. Kakashi looked over and said, "Infants need to feel secure Sasuke."

"Yeah, like how you were climbing up the cliff with her like that," the Uchiha remarked and pulled Ai closer. The girl smiled and reached up, and yanked on his long bangs. Sasuke nearly dropped the girl and was crying out in pain as the girl seemed to be tugging. "Get off! Get off!" He said as he managed to get the girl to let his hair go. Ai giggled at the funny faces the man was making, and Sasuke was already frustrated. "She's definitely Naruto's brat…and she'll grow up to be as dumb as him I bet," he said as he put her down on the ground. He was walking away, and Ai began to crawl toward him. Sasuke turned and saw the girl following. "No, you stay here," he said, and Ai didn't listen.

Kakashi looked over once more and said, "don't put her on the ground like that. She'll get dirty!" Kakashi went over and picked the girl up. Ai began to cry once more. Kakashi tried to rock her softly and said, "you need to learn how to treat infants Sasuke."

Once everything was settled, Kakashi had decided to give her back to Naruto tomorrow, though he still needed to talk to Sasuke.

"You're lying," Sasuke said immediately.

"DNA results don't lie Sasuke," Kakashi said firmly. "She has the markers for activating the Sharingan," Kakashi said as he held the infant in his lap. The two were sitting by the campfire and Ai was sleeping now for the night. "She resembles you significantly," Kakashi said, and Sasuke was quick to reject that thought. "So you're saying she's Itachi's child? My niece?"

"We don't know any other Uchiha's other than you and we know you didn't create her," Kakashi said firmly. Sasuke looked at the girl, but all he could see was Naruto's image. He couldn't see his brother anywhere in her. "So she'll have the sharingan then?"

"One day, yes, she'll be able to activate it," Kakashi said. Sasuke didn't know how to think about that. Could this child ruin his plans for revenge? Or was she the start of the Uchiha clan's revival?

"But why would Itachi…do this?" Sasuke asked.

Kakashi gave him a looked of 'how should I know?' "Why did Itachi kill your clan? I don't have all of the answers Sasuke. The point is that now, there is one more Uchiha in the world, and she'll be a target for many enemies."

Sasuke looked uneasy, and he looked at the girl but said, "she's Naruto's child first, so I don't have anything to do with her upbringing," Sasuke said.

"You don't want anything to do with your only family member?" Kakashi asked.

"It's not like she can help me achieve my goals. She's a distraction. Maybe when she's old, she'll be useful, but if she's anything like Naruto, then I don't want anything to do with her. She's not my kid."

Kakashi gave him an uneasy look and then looked down to Ai. He was sure to teach her with the sharingan once she activated it. He knew Sasuke would change his mind later in life, but for now, he was right. Ai wasn't his responsibility.

"So now that you know, how do you feel about her now?" Kakashi asked.

Sasuke looked at Kakashi and said, "she's just a reminder to kill off Itachi. Not only did he kill our family but now he's a rapist. That's messed up. I don't understand why he would do such a thing. Now seeing her makes me mad as well."

Kakashi stood up, trying not to wake Ai up and said, "I guess I'll return her to Naruto. If I don't make it back, know that I was more likely killed by him. I didn't exactly get his permission to watch over her after all. See ya…maybe," Kakashi said and poofed with the infant in his arms.

Sasuke stared at the fire and couldn't get Ai out of his head. She was his family…his clan…it was so hard to believe. Now he had someone to call family once more. He was still upset over this, but he could only imagine how Naruto felt.

Sasuke questions why he would be thinking of Naruto right now.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Okay first off! I went to Tsubasacon (where I go annually), and I actually met STEVE BLUM! (The English Dub Voice for Orochimaru) and I got him to do the Orochimaru creepy voice! *fangirl screaming!*

WARNINGS! Mentions of incest rape (for another character)

I don't own Naruto

**Naruto's Baby** **Chapter 7**

Orochimaru had read over the results and smiled. While he had gotten Konoha's results, Orochimaru conducted his own test in his lab. Kabuto had gotten some of Sasuke's DNA while he was in the hospital, a small nick in the skin and a few drops of blood was that was needed. They had encoded Sasuke's genetic code, and with Ai's blood sample, they had more enough to run the test.

And the results made Orochimaru laugh insanely.

Kabuto's eyes widen as he saw the words 'genetic match' on the screen. The silver haired shinobi printed the results and read the more detail results. "How is this possible?" Kabuto asked Orochimaru. The snake man had calmed down and said, "I don't know, but this is too perfect! Not only will Sasuke be mine soon enough, but he has a child with Naruto! The Kyuubi host!" Orochimaru never had smiled so wide before.

"What do you want to do about it?" Kabuto asked.

"I think we should snatch her up before it's too late. It'll be easier to control and train her while she's so young," Orochimaru stated. "I'm leaving you to that mission Kabuto. You know how to handle things delicately," he said, and Kabuto nodded, "and as for Sasuke? Will the plan still resume?"

"Yes, of course, after all, his body is young and strong enough for the transfer once this body becomes useless," he said. "Now Kabuto, go seek out the girl and report back with anything," he said, and Kabuto left.

Orochimaru turned to the screen that read "DNA MATCH" in bright red letters. He smiled and licked his lips in glee. This was an image that was on her birth record and scanned in, so it showed her newborn image. "I've always wanted a child," he said, "looks like adoption is my only option as they say," he said. "And you are just too perfect to not pass up."

Jiraiya stared at with a deadly serious expression. His lips twitched. That was before he changed completely and was making a goofy face and was making strange noises. Ai found it amusing and was clapping excitedly as the man before her was making her laugh. The two were laughing together now, and the old man picked up the girl.

Naruto turned to them, "hey you're distracting me!" He shouted as he tried to do another summoning jutsu.

Jiraiya looked over and said, "what can I say? She is so adorable," he said. That was before his white locks were yanked when the girl was carelessly holding on to his hair. Jiraiya didn't seem to mind as much and said, "you're just a cutie pie," he said.

Naruto was glad to have his child with him, in fact, when Kakashi returned her, he tried to punch the man for taking her away, but now he knew what everyone meant when Ai would be a distraction. Well, she personally wasn't the distraction, it was everyone else who was a distraction because they wanted to play with her!

Jiraiya especially was being nice to her.

Naruto decided to take a break and walk over to them. He took Ai from Jiraiya's arms, making her let go of his hair and held her close. "I'm glad she's feeling better," Naruto commented. Ai's bumps had cleared up, and the girl was just as energetic as well. Naruto noted how much bigger she seemed to be, though she hadn't changed as much.

The final round of the chunin exams was in two weeks, and he needed to continue training, especially since he hadn't made much progress other than summoning tadpoles.

Naruto sat down and had Ai in his lap, smiling at her. "Whose girl are you?" He asked, and the girl smiled brightly, a few baby teeth showing already. She babbled a bit, and when Naruto asked the question, she looked up with her onyx eyes and pointed to Naruto unknowingly. His smile grew, and he hugged, "that's right. You're my baby girl!"

Jiraiya watched with a laugh, "she probably doesn't even know the difference between you or Iruka or even Kakashi," he said, and Naruto's smile disappeared. "She does know. My baby will be smart!"

"Kid I hate to break it to ya, but most kids usually take after their moms, girls especially in the personality department," he said. "So you'll be dealing with a loud-mouthed brat as well."

Naruto picked up Ai and looked at her, "don't listen to the pervy sage Ai, you will be a wonderful girl because you're already a wonderful daughter," he said and placed her down on the girl, on the blanket. Naruto leaned back a bit and looked at his child, and watched her crawl around a bit on the blanket. The girl crawled toward Naruto, and when she got close, she began to tug on his shirt.

Jiraiya picked up Ai after she stood up and said, "time to go back to training Naruto," he said, and Naruto sat up, "it's only been five minutes!"

"That's all you need, now go," he said.

Naruto huffed his chest a bit, "Okay but you better be watching!"

Jiraiya had watched for a minute before his eyes narrowed toward the said, having sensed someone nearby. They vanished before they could do anything. Jiraiya looked down at the infant in his arms and sighed a bit. Naruto was too young to be a parent and seeing the infant made him remember that he had failed as a Godfather.

He should have watched over Naruto sooner.

Neji walked into his home after a day of training. Tenten was behind him. The house was quiet. The young man lived on his own for a bit though his home was still connected to the Hyuuga main house. The male was exhausted, and as soon as he took off his sandals, an older woman came around the corner. She was like him, a branch member Hyuuga. "Have you finished your training today?" The elderly woman asked with a smile.

"Yeah, I'll be ready for the chunin exams without a doubt," Neji said, and Tenten smiled at the woman.

"Senji had just been put down for his nap, but I must be going," she said and made her leave. Tenten waved her goodbye. Neji walked forward and sat down at the table. Tenten made herself at home, "how had Senji been?" She asked.

Neji scolded a bit, "he's quiet. That's good at least. He's been walking around a bit as well."

Tenten gave her teammate a concern expression, "do you resent him?"

Neji looked uneasy, "can we not talk about it?" He stopped her and got up and went to make some tea. He put some water in the pot to boil, he had activated his byakugan and said, "Senji, you're supposed to take a nap right now," he said without turning his head.

Tenten looked over to the baby. He was almost two years old but was walking around, hiding behind the walkway. His hair was a few shades darker than Neji's. His hair framed his hair, and for a boy, it was long. "You're home," he said. Tenten smiled warmly at the boy, "hello Senji."

Neji deactivated his byakugan and turned to the timid child. "Go back to bed. It's nap time," Neji said firmly. The boy hesitated and said, "how was your day?"

Neji wasn't going to have it. "I'm going to count to three and if you're not in bed, then you'll be in trouble."

"Neji-" Tenten tried to interject, but Neji said, "One."

The boy looked scared and began to run away. Steps of him scurrying to his room could be heard until he heard the slam of the door. Tenten frowned, "he just wanted to see you Neji. We have been gone all day," Tenten said.

Neji was silent and went back to make the tea. However, Tenten stood up, "I think I overstayed my welcome," she said and began walking out. Neji made no move to stop her. "I'll see you tomorrow." When he heard the door open and close, Neji sighed and leaned against a counter, his arms crossed over his chest.

He was frustrated, and he had been for a long time. One incident he had no control over and now he was living with a one-year-old who was about to turn two. That man's punishment wasn't enough in his opinion.

Like Naruto, Neji was a victim.

The Hyuuga poured himself a glass and took it with him to the living room. He sat down in the open space and crossed his legs, meditating.

After some time, Neji frowned his eyebrow, "what now Senji?" He asked and didn't look at the child. The boy looked upset and said, "pee."

Neji scolded. He was trying to have the boy potty trained too soon, everyone had told him that, but he didn't listen. He didn't even really bother with the child so long as anyone else could watch him. He didn't want the boy. He tried adoption but he couldn't. No one else wanted the boy within his clan.

So Neji was stuck with him.

He got up and told the boy to led him to where he meant. The boy led him to his bedroom where he had his bed mat, and it was soaked. Neji crouched down and said, "stay here," he went to get the cleaning products to wash it and then let it dry.

Neji sprayed the mat and told his son to stay back. When Neji finished and was now hanging the mat, he turned to his son, "need anything else?"

The boy meekly nodded and Neji guessed, "you're hungry?" He nodded once more. Neji rolled his eyes, wishing that the boy was older and could take care of himself. Neji spent the next thirty minutes making them dinner.

As Senji ate, Neji stared at him blankly. He knew he shouldn't hate the boy so much. It wasn't Senji's fault he was born; it was his own. Neji was also bitter about one little fact.

Technically, he was a main house member instead of a branch because of who had fathered him.

When they finished eating, Neji went to go to meditate. Just as he sat down, Senji had followed and sat down in front of him. Neji picked up the boy and sat him down beside him, "stay quiet," he said firmly, and Neji tried to mediate once more.

Senji sat there, looking at the man he knew was his papa because he was the one who was around. Normally, the boy would be placed in daycare until later in the evening, but when it was closed, Neji had to be home more often, and his training time was suffering from it. The boy couldn't stand being quiet for so long that he got up and began running around. Babies were filled with so much energy.

The boy ran until he ran into something, a book shelf. When the bookshelf was falling, Neji was quick to react and snatch the boy before the shelf fell on top of him. He growled and picked up the boy. He placed the boy in his nursery and gave him some blocks, "play with these. I'm busy," he said and closed the door.

Senji was sad and scared by Neji's forcefulness and began crying, but Neji ignored him, knowing he was doing it for attention.

"Why don't you have the child?" Orochimaru asked Kabuto.

"My apologies, but it seems that she's with Naruto and he's being trained under Jiraiya," Kabuto said. Orochimaru smirked, "so it seems that Jiraiya is training the Kyuubi-host and with that, comes with guarding the girl. Smart. Very smart."

"What do you wish for me to do?" Kabuto asked.

"Keep tabs on them," Orochimaru ordered, "after all, Jiraiya can't watch over them all the time."

"Yes, milord."

"Thanks for watching over Ai again Iruka-sensei," Jiraiya said as he headed the child to him. Iruka smiled and said, "it's not a problem, I love watching over her," he said and cradled the girl. Before Jiraiya could head off, Iruka asked, "how's Naruto's training coming along?"

Jiraiya sighed, "he was distracted…I can't blame the kid because he's a parent who needs to constantly watch over his child, but the weeks spend of balancing training and child caring has been a bit much for him." Iruka feared something like this would happen. "Well, I'll watch over Ai until after the chunin exams. I tried to tell him that before," Iruka said.

Jiraiya knelt down and smiled goofily at the infant, "well, bye kid," he said, and Ai reached out and yanked on the man's hair and laughed when the man winced in pain. Jiraiya pulled away and vanished soon after. Iruka carried the girl inside and placed her in her playpen with her toys still in it. The girl seemed much happier in the small area and soon began to play with her toys and babbling incoherent mumbles.

Iruka sat on the ground and smiled at the child, "I bet you're happy to be somewhere indoors huh?" He said as he noted the girl's skin had gotten a bit darker since the last time he saw her. He thought about it and said, "it's gonna be your birthday Ai-chan," he said teasingly, "I should plan something. After all, it'll be your very first one, even if you don't realize it."

Iruka took a closer look at the girl and noticed something else that was different about her.

Her hair color was darkening.

The light blonde hair she had sported before was shaded darker, making it a shade from being brown. Iruka really studied the child and thought about what Kakashi said. She was a Uchiha by her genes. An Uchiha. That was a lot to handle. Her eyes were still the same onyx color and a bit rounder in shape with long eyelashes. The girl began to chew on a rubber toy, making it squeak.

A dark shadow loomed over her unknowingly.

Naruto tried to go to sleep early that night, but he couldn't as relenting to himself. He knew Ai was safe and secure at Iruka's place and now that he was out of the hospital (after riding Chief Toad to gain his respect) and seeing Gaara with Shikamaru in said hospital, Naruto had a lot on his mind. Sleep didn't come easily to him. He looked over at his calendar and saw where he had marked August 11th, the day of the Chunin Exams. He thought about the days and shut his eyes, thinking about his child.

Her birthday was less than a few weeks.

He thought about the day she was born. He remembered the pain so easily, especially out of the surgery. When he saw his daughter for the first time, he thought his heart was going to explode from his chest in sheer happiness. He never wanted to let her go.

There was one painful memory he had, and it was when he overheard the adults talking about how they wanted to place Ai in a foster home because of Naruto's age. He hardly remembered what he did next, but he remembered how he had grabbed Ai and escaped the hospital. He only remembered hiding in some cave because it started raining and he couldn't head to his apartment at the time.

Naruto didn't know what gave him the strength to even run away with a newborn, but he remembered how he busted his staples and the weak feeling from just having surgery. The fact that he wasn't found until a few hours later surprised him. He didn't remember how he was found; he only remembered being carried on Kakashi's back and being feverish for the first time in his life.

The morning was gray and cloudy. The sound of a digital clock woke Naruto up from his unrestful sleep. He actually missed his daughter's cries in the mornings. She had been starting to sleep through the entire night and even waking up wasn't greeted with tears like how it normally was.

His nerves didn't help him either.

Naruto got up and got ready like he normally did, and decided that he would go see his baby girl before the chunin exams. It would help ease his mind and give him some confidence. Seeing Iruka would be a bonus as well.

….or at least that was what he wanted to do. When he got to Iruka's apartment, he saw that Iruka and Ai weren't there. He figured that Iruka must be teaching a class and Ai had to be at daycare. It was only logical after all to take her there after all.

What Naruto didn't know was that the daycare was still closed…

Neji did some morning warm-ups with Tenten. Senji was with them, watching from a safe distance in amazement. His nanny was unavailable, and the daycare still wasn't. Neji had no choice but to watch over him in the morning, but Tenten was nice enough to offer to watch him during the chunin exams.

After the warm up, Neji walked over, and Senji got up and held a small towel for Neji to wipe his face off with, but Neji didn't take it. He only looked down at the boy, "Tenten will watch over you during the tournament, do what she says," he said, and he turned away. Tenten smiled and picked up the one-year-old, "come on Senji, you get to hang out with Auntie Tenten today," she smiled and showed the boy some kindness. She didn't know why Neji had to be so cold to a boy. He didn't do anything wrong.

The boy let himself be carried and clung to the brown haired girl to the arena.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Hello, everyone!

For this chapter, it might seem like it jumps a lot, but I had to do this. See, this story isn't meant to be a lot of action and more on Naruto and Ai's relationship as parent and child. Granted one can have both, but this chapter is extremely OC-centered. It's because she is the main focus of this story, kind of the plot device one might say. It's been difficult not to make a Mary-Sue character since it seems that no matter what kind of OC is made within a fandom, on some level they are Mary-Sues. Even doing a character that is an infant can be considered Mary-Sue on some level such as how other characters could view her. I honestly try to keep them within character when they interact with Ai.

For example, Naruto is her parent, but he is also a child himself, so he will make mistakes, but he cares for his child very much and will put her needs over his own. Iruka is an adult who's spent plenty time with children, but he babies Ai because she is a baby. Sasuke feels indifferent towards her but because on some level he does have a connection with her, he's rather more bothered with her existence. Sakura is still denial over her and later in the story one will see that she doesn't treat the baby badly, in fact, she will try to be nice to her since she's just a baby. Kakashi loves to dote on Ai, but he can be extremely careless at times, though not as often as Naruto, etc.

While I do have a general idea on which this direction this story will take, it can very well change…I can assure that she won't be as Mary-Sue-ish as she was in the original story. I wrote that years ago and I've learned a lot (I still make mistakes such as plot holes and grammar errors).

I Don't Own Naruto

**Naruto's Baby** **Chapter 8**

"Thank you for watching over her," Iruka said as he handed the infant to Sakura. "I know it's a lot to ask since it's your day off but I don't know who else wouldn't be on a mission right now." The pink haired girl smiled, "it's nothing Iruka-sensei. I don't mind, really." Sakura said as she placed the girl on her hip. Ai was busy sucking on her pacifier and looking around to pay attention to whoever was holding her. "Here is her schedule," Iruka handed the girl and smiled, "Ai's been learning to talk but all she can say at the moment is a few things. Most of it is baby gibberish."

Ai turned back and saw the bright colors of the girl's hand and grabbed a hand full of pink hair, and yanks. Sakura winced, and Iruka chuckled a bit, "she also loves to yank on hair for some reason. She does it with everyone who holds her."

"I'll keep that in mind," Sakura said as she made the child let go of her locks. Iruka looked at the girl and asked, "by any chance are you going to the chunin exams to see Sasuke's and Naruto's matches?" Iruka just remembered that those were today. Sakura nodded, "yeah. You don't mind if I take her do you?"

"Well I guess not, but you have to extra careful. That place can be really dangerous and lately, loud noises have been frightening her. If they're offering a small daycare for the adults there, I would appreciate it if you place her there instead of the stands," Iruka said.

"I'll make sure she's safe. You can count on me," Sakura said and took the baby bag from the man. Iruka leaned down and kissed Ai's forehead. Sakura smiled, "it seems like you're more of a parent to her than Naruto."

Iruka blushed and said, "Yeah well, ya know…she's just that adorable, and she's like a daughter to me." Sakura waved him off and carried Ai out of sight.

When Sakura walked, she didn't head to the arena. She walked towards the village gate, and a smirk etched on her face. Her appearance changed to that of a red-haired young woman with a purple robe around her waist and wearing gray clothing. Once she was out of the village, she met up with her teammates, Sakon and Ukon, Jirobo, and Kidomaru.

"Looks like you have no trouble getting the infant," Sakon said.

Tayuya, the woman who held the girl, smirked right back, "the man handed her to me," she commented. "It so easy to fool anyone when you know who you're impersonating."

"That's being a ninja 101," Kidomaru said, and Sakon raised his hand, "Okay now we have to get back to Lord Orochimaru. The plan will take place soon, and Lord Orochimaru doesn't want the kid injured in any way."

"I'll take her," the four turned and saw Kimimaro. They were surprised and said, "you're sick, why are you here?"

"I want to be of service to Lord Orochimaru and any way possible," the white haired man and looked down at the infant. The girl had met the man's eyes but unknowing to her innocent and young self, she was now the victim of kidnapping. "I'll take her back to the lairs," Kimimaro said. Tayuya handed him the girl and gave him the bag. They nodded to each other and the four vanished off. Kimimaro dug in the baby bag and found Naruto's sling and wore it and placed the girl in it, securing her in before he began to take off. He only had a limited supply of energy, and he had a long journey back.

That was until Kimimaro met with an unforeseen enemy.

Kakashi and Sasuke.

They stood at a good distance from each other, but Ai was laughing and reaching out for Kakashi. She wasn't aware of the danger was in, or had been in.

"Looks like you're going to be late to your match Sasuke," Kakashi said.

Many people were impatient waiting for the Uchiha to arrive at the match. They've waited long enough, and after two delays, the proctor was about to forfeit the match, and that would have made Gaara the winner. However, they had arrived just in time.

In a twister of leaves, Kakashi and Sasuke made their entrance, along with a tag-along no one had expected, especially Naruto. The girl was clinging to Sasuke's hair as he was the one holding her, but it didn't seem like her grip was bothering him. Naruto froze when he saw his child in Sasuke's arms, crying loudly. Many questions ran through his mind in one second.

"Sorry we're late, you wouldn't believe the traffic," Kakashi tried to laugh off.

Naruto didn't care if anyone saw what he was about to do. As the people cheered for Sasuke who finally arrived, Naruto went over and plucked his daughter from Sasuke's arms, who was still crying. Shikamaru was surprised to see Naruto be like this, especially since he didn't know that he had a child. It was when he had a closer look at his child that he a small cut mark on the corner of Ai's lip. He wasn't mad at Sasuke though. He directed his anger to Kakashi.

"WHAT THE FUCK KAKASHI-SENSEI? WHY IS MY CHILD HURT?!" He shouted and looked like he could murder him in cold blood.

"Easy Naruto! I didn't do that!" Kakashi defended and would need to talk to him about what had happened later. Kakashi was about to pick her up from Naruto, but the blonde haired male back off and held his child close to his chest protectively. "I'm holding on to her," Naruto would have a "talk" with Iruka about Ai's care for now on. This was ridiculous.

Sasuke watched how protective Naruto was over the infant, and he thought about what that man who tried to kidnap her had said…he wouldn't say anything about right now. It was not his concern at the moment, "Naruto," he said. "Did you win your match?"

Naruto smiled at him, Ai having calmed down but was clinging to Naruto as security, "you know it."

"Come on Naruto, let's go so they can start the match. And this time I would like to take the stairs," Shikamaru said and started to head back to the waiting area. Naruto followed after him, "what are you mad that I gave you a little push?" He ran with Ai in his arms until they made it to the stairs and that was when he was careful.

Shikamaru eyed the child and asked, "so what's the deal?"

Naruto had completely disregarded the fact that Ai was supposed to be a secret…but he no longer cared. "She's my daughter. I gave birth, and I'm raising her,"

Shikamaru sighed, "man I'm glad I'm not you having to deal with an infant," he said, and Naruto scolded, "she's the best daughter in the world!"

"That's not the point," Shikamaru said and just as they were about to reach the top of the stairs, Naruto had turned and stopped when he saw two guys talking to Gaara…and witnessed their brutal murders. When one of the men ran out and was dragged back by Sand, Naruto had to cover his child's face to make sure she didn't see the horror. She began to whimper, and Naruto had to muffle her cries with his hand. Gaara walked around and by them, and all Naruto could do was hope that his child would stay quiet and not make a single sound until he was way out of their sight. Naruto and Shikamaru both remembered yesterday when they were in the hospital and how Gaara was about to kill Lee.

When his shivers vanished, and they were finally able to breathe, Naruto plopped himself on the stair and sat down with Shikamaru. His grip on Ai's body is never loosened.

"If we come up the stairs just a second earlier, that could have been us just now," Shikamaru said in relief and in fear, "I've never in my life seen anyone kill like that without even batting an eye. Things don't look so good for your friend."

Naruto thought about Sasuke since he had his match against Gaara. He looked down at his child, who was looking up at him with her large onyx eyes. Naruto moved his hand and stood up. "We have to go tell Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto said and began running to go tell them in the stands.

"Relax Naruto," Kakashi said once the blonde and Shikamaru came to explain to Kakashi that Gaara was serious about killing and how they needed to stop the match. "There was a reason why were late getting here," he said and turned to Naruto.

Naruto was getting frustrated, but Sakura had the nerve to asked, "why was that?"

"Well, it's kind of a long story-"

"THIS ISN'T THE TIME FOR TALKING!"

"You're right so shut up," Kakashi said and glared, "it was because Ai was being kidnapped that we were late. If we hadn't had caught the man, your child wouldn't be here," Kakashi said. Naruto stiffened.

"Wait, that baby is Naruto's?" Ino asked as she was sitting next to Sakura. They all looked at Naruto with widening eyes. He didn't want to explain this. He wanted to save Sasuke!

As they watched the match, Naruto was more amazed then worried as Sasuke showed off his new skills. He was faster, and that jutsu…the Chidori. As Naruto watched, he didn't notice the small white feathers falling down until he was hit with a sudden drowsy feeling. His arms are loosened, and luck was the only thing that didn't make him dropping the now sleeping baby in his arms, or landing on top of her. Instead, Naruto fell to his side, his arms loosely around his daughter as they were both under the genjutsu, just like most of the people were at the arena when the invasion began…

Naruto sat on his bed, staring at the crib with dull eyes. He was covered in bandages, injuries from his fight with Gaara. He looked over and saw the black garbs he would have to wear in a short bit. He moved forward to sit on the edge of the bed and looked over and saw Ai, looking up at him. She suddenly smiled at him and reached up, wanting his attention.

She didn't understand what was going on, or what had happened.

Naruto stood up and began to get dress, and he reached down and picked up the child. She would be wearing black for the first time today. He had a small traditional wrap to dress her in. It was for the Third Hokage's funeral. He grabbed Ai's sling and just as he was about to do the transformation jutsu, he stopped himself. "No…no more transformations." He said and turned to his child, sitting on the bed. "She's my child, not Natsuko's. Natsuko doesn't even exist," he said and picked up his child, holding her close for a moment before laying her down in the sling, which she was getting too big for but regardless, he would still use for today.

Naruto had almost lost his child during the chunin exams. He owed Kakashi so much for protecting her while he was gone…and for saving her before when she was being kidnapped. He would never let his child be in danger ever again if he could help it.

Naruto locked his apartment with his Ai in her sling, and he headed out to meet with Sakura and Sasuke. They were all quiet, and most were in mourning to be shocked that Naruto was freely carrying a baby. Naruto walked with his teammates after meeting in the alleyway.

The funeral was dark and gloomy, and it began to rain. Naruto held Ai firmly in the sling, his right arm resting on her while his left was to his side. Ai was sucking her fingers, making some cooing noises as infants did unknowingly.

Standing next to them was Konohamaru, who was crying, and Iruka, who was comforting the boy. They soon got in line to lay white flowers in respect for the deceased. Naruto was handed two; one for him and the other for his child. He went in line behind Shino, and as he walked closer to the picture of the Third Hokage, memories flashed in his head. He remembered how the old man was so nice to him. How they even bickered at each other.

And how it was his decision to let him keep his child.

Naruto laid his flower on the table and looked down to see Ai still holding hers in her tiny palm. Naruto eased the plant from her hold and laid it on the table, next to his. He walked back, next to Konohamaru and Iruka and wondered aloud why did he have to die.

Though Naruto knew that if it were his friends and his child, especially his child, in danger, he would gladly sacrifice his life for them.

A few days later, Naruto was running through the village. He was giving a new sling that would be perfect for when he had to run around, and Ai had grown out of her old one. This new sling was like a long wrap that could be adjusted in different ways; a gift from Iruka. Naruto had Ai on his back, held securely and was careful not to run too fast or her head would be jolted back and forth, and that could really hurt her.

He went to Ichiraku, and when he placed his child in the baby seat, he began digging for his free Ichiraku ramen. The man was very confused when Naruto had the baby with him, but he didn't seem to ask too much considering. At the moment, Naruto was very concerned for his free ramen, and he needed the ticket.

A chuckle came from the chef, "I think I found your ticket," he said and pointed to the girl who was sucking on the ticket. Naruto screamed and snatched it from her and pointed, "No! Bad baby!" He said firmly, but the message didn't seem to get across to her, though she was upset that her chew toy was taken. Naruto easily replaced it with a spare pacifier, and she quieted down easily enough.

"She looks just like ya," the chef commented with a grin. Naruto smiled at that, "thanks. I think she does as well."

All the while, no one was aware of the soft jingle of a bell that rung by and two men in red clouded cloaks.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

I don't own Naruto

**Naruto's Baby** **Chapter 9**

Iruka went rushing in as soon as he heard the horrible news. He opened the door and saw Gai, Kurenai, and Asuma in Kakashi's apartment. The man was on the bed, passed out and everyone was concerned. Iruka came in and closed the door behind him. "I just only just heard," Iruka started. "Was it really Itachi that did this?" He asked the group of jonin.

"Yeah, it was," Asuma said, grabbing a cigarette from his pack and put it in his mouth, "He and another rouge named Kisame were looking for Naruto and yet they couldn't find him." He said and lit it up with his lighter. He took a drag, "they should have easily found him in the village."

Iruka was beyond worried, for both Naruto and his child. As far as they knew, Itachi was Ai's father. He looked at the jonin in the room, and they knew they didn't know this. Not even the third hokage knew. Iruka began to shake with worry. He took a seat next to Kakashi and worried heavily about him as well. Kurenai went over and placed a hand on Iruka's shoulders, "he'll be okay Iruka. He just needs some rest." It wasn't completely true. Kakashi would need more than a simple nap.

He needed Tsunade.

When Sasuke came in, he began to ask why was Kakashi asleep and before any of them could answer, another shinobi came in, "is it true that Itachi has returned? And that he's come here to get Naruto?" Sasuke's eyes slowly widen as the information sank in.

_Itachi is after Naruto_. Itachi also attacked Naruto before, and that resulted in Ai's birth. Would he be after Naruto's child as well? Sasuke could only see Itachi attacking Naruto, and it made him sick with disgust!

Sasuke ran out of Kakashi's apartment and when to find Naruto.

"Stupid pervy sage…leaving me by myself," Naruto mumbled as he settled in the hotel room. He laid Ai on the bed and watched as she kicked about, becoming fussy. He sighed, "it's nap time huh?" He asked rhetorically to himself mostly, but he was talking to Ai on some level. The girl was almost a year old now, and she was developing fast. Naruto was trying to adjust to what her needs were now. He still bottle-fed her, but she often would hold it for herself now and it wasn't just formula anymore; she was drinking whole milk, which made Naruto try to be extra intuitive for it not to be spoiled.

Naruto dropped is two bags, his bookbag that had his ninja gear, some spare clothes and scrolls in it, and the baby bag that had Ai's things inside such as diapers, her clothes, some toys, and more. The blonde went over and picked up the girl, huffing lightly, "you're getting heavy," he commented and then sat down on the bed, trying to rock the girl to settle down, but Ai wouldn't easy up. In fact, his rocking was making her feel worse, and she began bawling.

Naruto groaned and laid the girl down, "shh, shh, it's okay Ai," he said and observed to see what was the matter. Was she hungry? No, she was fed on the way to the hotel because the pervy sage was bottle feeding her when they took the break at the shrine. Naruto remembered because he was playing with the bells with some clones. Was she just tired? Hopefully. Did she want her pacifier? Naruto went to the baby bag and began digging through. He found one and placed in his child's mouth. The girl's eyes open, revealing onyx orbs but she spat it out and began crying once more. Naruto's eyes widen, and he picked up the girl again, holding her close, "it's okay baby," he said and began rubbing her back softly. Her head rested on his shoulder, and as he continued to rub her back, Ai slowly stopped crying, and that was when she fell quiet and fell asleep.

Naruto sighed and laid the girl down slowly as to not wake her up. But when he did, she began to whimper once more, and Naruto wondered what was going on with her.

Then he smelt the problem…

"Oh…diaper change," Naruto said and picked her up and looked around. "No changing table…time to get creative."

After the mess of trying to change his child's diaper, Naruto went back to training while the girl slept peacefully on the second bed with her pink fleece blanket. Naruto was trying to focus on his chakra and had produced many clones around the room to help in with this, but nothing much else was happening. The boy also knew that he couldn't make a lot of noise for Ai's sake.

Then, there was a knock at the door.

Naruto disbanded his jutsu and groaned audibly, "that you pervy sage?" He said and remembered that he had the key and had locked the door. "What that woman dump you already?" He asked as he got up and heard another knock at the door. "I'm coming, I'm coming."

Naruto went to the door and unlocked it before he opened it, pulling it open and looked up at the man who wasn't the pervy sage. Naruto froze in his spot and saw the sharingan eyes that stared down at him. They were all too familiar…at least, Naruto thought that were. The man…looked like…

A pulse of recollection radiated within Naruto's being. This was _him_. It had to be. The man who gave him his child. Naruto couldn't look away. It was like, he was locked in some sort of battle with him, and he was losing.

"I can't believe that the Kyuubi is in this little runt," the shark man, Kisame, came out from around the corner and peered down at the blonde from over Itachi's shoulder. _'How does he know about the Kyuubi?' _Naruto asked himself.

"Let's take a walk," Itachi said. Naruto seemed to be under the man's control and walked out of the hotel room, eye contact never breaking.

"Hey, Itachi. It'll be a pain if this kid tries to make a run for it. Maybe I oughta chop off a leg," Kisame said as he grabbed his sword, ready to do the deed pleasurably. "just in case." Naruto reacted only a bit, gasping lightly and his eyes widen slightly.

"No need, we already have collateral," Itachi said, and his eyes moved to the hotel room. He broke eye contact with Naruto and walked inside, seeing the infant sleeping softly. Naruto's heart pounded hard in his chest. "STAY AWAY FROM HER!" Naruto charged in, but Kisame grabbed by his jacket and threw him against the wall.

Itachi picked up the infant softly, not disturbing her sleep and swaddled her in the blanket she was covered in. He walked out, "you've taken such a good care of her, despite your age," Itachi said and looked back at Naruto. "She seems well-fed…not mistreated either, this makes me happy," Itachi cooed in his monotone voice. Naruto's eyes widen with a look only traumatized people would understand. Kisame looked at his partner and said, "it's not like you to be all parental Itachi."

"Well, I am her father so I must be," Itachi said as he cradled the infant.

Naruto's worse fear was coming true. He began to breathe heavy and was seeing spots. "No…she's not…she's mine…she's all mine." Naruto said as panic rose within him. Itachi looked at Naruto and said, "she's my child…don't you remember our night together Naruto?" Itachi said and just so he couldn't bring up any more details, Naruto lowered his head. "Please…I'll go with you…just don't hurt her. Don't hurt my baby."

Itachi nodded, "make sure he doesn't get away," Itachi said to Kisame walked to Naruto and was about to draw his sword out to make sure Naruto couldn't run away.

Naruto was frozen, but when he looked over for a fraction of a second, he saw his child waking up in Itachi's arms. She began to whimper, and Naruto just moved instantly. It felt like slow motion, but Naruto had gone to get his child, but he was thrown back once more and felt his head whirl.

"It's been a while Sasuke," Itachi said, not turning his back to the younger Uchiha who had just arrived. Naruto watched as Sasuke grew angry and formed a Chidori in his arms. He began to charge as Itachi, who was still holding Ai. His eyes widen. "SASUKE DON'T!"

Sasuke was stopped by Itachi so easily that it seemed surreal. Itachi held Ai in his left arm and Sasuke's wrist in his right. The electricity died down. Sasuke looked at Ai, and his eyes went back to Itachi. All he could feel is hatred for them both. Itachi for what he has done, and Ai for being the result of what he had done to Naruto.

Sasuke's wrist was snapped, and he fell to the ground. Itachi looked down at the girl in his arms and saw her eyes. He was nearly surprised by how much she looked like her brother. He didn't look fazed, but he knew who her true father really was. It was when Jiraiya had made his presence known by protecting Naruto with a toad summoning that he looked away from the infant.

After some minor bickering between Naruto and Jiraiya, Kisame was too focused on Jiraiya and Naruto made a run for his child. Naruto wrapped his arms around his child, which Itachi let him have, and Naruto shielded her, though when Sasuke was getting beaten up by Itachi, Naruto couldn't look away. He wanted nothing more than to save Sasuke, but he couldn't. Sasuke began screaming, and Naruto winced painfully. Ai started to cry as well. The loud noises and movement around her were too much to remain quiet anymore.

Jiraiya soon activated a jutsu that made them all be in the belly of a mountain toad, Itachi, and Kisame escape through a jutsu Naruto had no idea about, and they were gone. Ai's cries had died down, and Naruto went over to help Sasuke but saw that he was unconscious. It was so devastating to see Sasuke like that. "Pervy sage, will Sasuke be okay?" Naruto asked.

"Physically he should be, but I'm not sure about his mind…he needs to go to the medical core at once," Jiraiya said before he was kicked in the face by Gai, who had made a dynamic entry...

As Itachi and Kisame made their escape, Kisame turned to his teammate, "you said back there that brat was yours. Is that true?" The stoic Uchiha remained quiet. There was a lot on Itachi's mind and he would need to recover from his overuse of his ninjutsu. "Yes." Itachi lied.

"Let him take her back to Konoha," Jiraiya said sharply to Naruto. The boy hung on to his child and said, "no! There is no in Konoha to watch over her. Gai-sensei just said Kakashi was out of commission and I don't trust Iruka at the moment! Not after her first kidnapping!" Naruto screamed. He found out that Iruka had handed his child to whom he thought was Sakura, and if he couldn't have seen that it wasn't Sakura, then how could he trust his child with her once more and not expect the same thing to happen again? "I'm her only guardian right now. She needs me, and I'll be damned to be separated from her again," Naruto said.

Gai had Sasuke on his back, and they were about to head off to look for Tsunade. Naruto wasn't going to risk anything happening to his child once more, especially since he almost lost her once more. Now that he knows that he's targeted, he wanted to become stronger and train, but he had a responsibility to his child, and she came first.

He would have to balance the two. Training and caring for his child.

As Naruto began his training for learning the Rasengan, Jiraiya had been watching over Ai once more. He noticed some things about the girl. Much like Naruto, her hair was also growing with her swirl to the right, which meant her chakra flow would also be going to the right. Her hair was short enough to tell easily. Ai was also starting to walk around, and Jiraiya was more than happy to help her up with the aid of his arm and she began taking tentative steps.

Since Naruto's training involved water balloons, Ai had many to play with. She wasn't strong enough to pop them, but she seemed to love the feeling of them in her hands. It was a good thing that Ai was easily entertained, because that way, Naruto wouldn't have to be distracted by her if she were fussy or crying.

Jiraiya also carried Ai to the town they stayed in, and the ladies he would have dinners with thought she was so adorable. Jiraiya jokingly referred to Ai as "his chick magnet." Apparently, a man who was the "fatherly" type was considered attractive. Though when Naruto came back to the hotel one night to see Jiraiya passed out in the futon with Ai covered in lipstick from strange women kissing her head, he stopped that and began taking Ai with him to train.

It was actually Ai who helped Naruto come up with the idea…well, sort of. She was rolling the balloon around with the innkeeper's cat, and the cat was bating it with its paw and Ai took it away, and it popped, making the infant begin crying.

As Naruto's training continued, Ai had started to mimic the hand gestures that Naruto had been doing to learn the Rasengan. She didn't have a ball, though, and she was only grabbing at air, but Jiraiya thought it was cute, and so did Naruto. "Aww, she wants to learn as well," Naruto chimed in. "That's my girl. She wants to be strong like her daddy!" He said and knelt, "can you say, papa?" Ai was quiet. "Dada?" She remained silent. "Da? Pa? Anything?"

Ai looked at Naruto with big eyes as she sat on the ground. "Nana!" Naruto felt the disdain in his face. He had to remember that she probably only heard his name and not "Dad" or anything like that. "No, not Nana, Daddy!" He said.

"Nana!" Ai clapped her hand and giggled happily.

"Daddy!"

"Nana!"

Naruto began to get frustrated. "I'm not Nana!"

"Mama!" Ai's annunciation shifted to the 'm' sound, and Naruto looked away, looking teary-eyed, "call me Nana…go back to that."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

I don't own Naruto

**Naruto's Baby** **Chapter 10**

"Another one!" Tsunade said to the waiter as he walked by and she waved her cup again. Shizune worried looked at her mentor, "Tsunade-sama, perhaps you have too much," she said. "'Nother one! Nother one!" A boy's voice rang beside Shizune. Next to the pink pig, Tonton was a kid who was about two years old now. The boy had his mother's eyes, but his hair was white and unlike his mother, he had two red lines at the corner of his eyes. He was wearing more traditional clothing, a jinbei; that was gray with dark blue patterns. Shizune sighed and said, "you're a bad influence on Zuko," she sighed, and yet, Shizune knew why.

Orochimaru had promised her to see her loved ones again.

Shizune tended to the baby's needs, giving him his sippy cup and wiped his face. Since his birth, she had become his nanny, though she felt like his mother most of the time. Tsunade didn't carry him often, though the boy was more than capable to walk on his own and preferred it unless it was time for his nap. Tsunade had another bottle of sake and poured herself a glass. Sometimes Shizune wondered if Tsunade drank so much in order to make up for the nine months she couldn't while she was pregnant with Zuko.

Tsunade just happened to look up at the wrong time and saw yet another ghost from the past; Jiraiya. They both caught each other's eye and the old man shouted, "TSUNADE!"

"Jiraiya?! What the-? What are you doing here?" She asked.

"Finally, I've been looking for you everywhere," he walked over toward her with Naruto standing behind with Ai in his arms. He gave Tsunade a weird look, but eventually went over and sat down next to the old man and asked for a baby seat, much like what Zuko was in. The two babies were sitting next to each other at the edge of the table in their own high chairs, and they seemed more interested in each other than in what the adults had to say.

Naruto sat and ate his food once it arrived, listening to what was going on…and choked on his food when Jiraiya said that she, Tsunade, was picked to being the fifth Hokage. Naruto being asking a million questions, annoying Tsunade.

"Who's this brat you got with you?" She asked, looking at him from behind her playing cards that she had laid out for her and Jiraiya to play.

"He's Naruto Uzumaki," Jiraiya said seriously. Tsunade's eyes widen a bit, _this kid is the Kyuubi? _Her eyes then directed to the baby who they seemed to brought along. "And don't tell me, this girl is yours Jiraiya?" She asked.

"She's mine!" Naruto said, and Tsunade was nearly taken back, but she began laughing, "as if kid! You're just that, a kid. How could a kid-" "He's not lying," Jiraiya said, keeping his serious tone. Tsunade was taken back and cleared her throat, looking guilty. Naruto's face had flushed. He knew people wouldn't believe him, but that didn't bother him. What bothered him was that this woman was going to be the fifth Hokage?!

Naruto had enough of this nonsense and challenged the woman, even so much as began screaming and yelling and jumping on tables. Tsunade wasn't much better and her actions, taking on the darker blonde and they headed outside.

And then, the bet was made…

Naruto was awake that night, trying to get his daughter to sleep. It was really late in the evening, and she seemed to be as awake as he was. She stared at him with big black orbs and was reaching out to him while he held her close. "You are grabby today Ai," he commented as he mostly wanted her to go to sleep already.

A knock at the door and Naruto walked over, "who could it be at this hour?" He asked himself but the door opened, and it was Shizune. "Naruto…I came to talk to you," she said. The woman had the boy from earlier in her arms. Naruto scolded and said, "Yeah well I'm trying to go to bed and get my child to sleep, I have to train tomorrow!"

"That's just it. Before you get into this, there is something you need to know about the necklace. And also about Tsunade-sama," Shizune said.

"Hmph! I couldn't care less about that crazy old bat," Naruto scoffed carelessly.

"Don't say that! She's not the kind of person you think she is! What right of you- You don't know anything about her," Shizune got defensive, then apologized for her outburst, especially when she noticed that he was trying to rock his child to sleep. "Please forgive me, I didn't mean to shout."

Shizune began to explain the curse of the necklace, and the more Naruto heard, the more he grew determined to not die, especially because of a stupid necklace. He began training immediately, taking his child to be watched over to Shizune, who didn't seem to mind watching the girl as having her seemed to be doing Zuko some good. He had never interacted with children his age, so having Ai around was helping him with his social skills. Not to mention he started to see her as a little sister.

One night, Tsunade was drinking while Shizune sat next to her, tending to Zuko and Ai. Jiraiya noticed the boy and how much of a resemblance he looked to Tsunade's brother, though with just different color hair; white, which made him worry a bit.

At Jiraiya's request, Shizune took the infants so he could sit and talk to Tsunade on his own. Before Jiraiya could start talking, Tsunade beat him, "remember a few years ago when we met up?" She asked him. "We both got drunk," he commented as his food was brought to him, along with his drink. He shot that down first, "if you're saying what you're going to say, I know." He said. "That boy, he's mine, isn't he?"

Tsunade nodded, "yes. Zuko is your son."

"And you're bitter about that fact, aren't you?" Jiraiya asked. Tsunade took a swing of her drink. Jiraiya sighed, "I'm sorry I couldn't replace him. I never wanted to. It was just one night…one, drunken night," he said to emphasize the regret he had placed in her heart.

"At least I'm old enough to have it acceptable to have a child…Naruto on the other hand," Tsunade commented and turned to Jiraiya. "What's the story with him? How'd he ended up with a brat of his own?"

"It's not a pretty story," Jiraiya commented. "I wouldn't think so," Tsunade said. "From what I understand, Naruto was eleven when it happened…he was attacked, and when he found out he was having a baby, he wanted to keep her because he wanted someone to be his family," he explained. "You'd think having a kid would make him more mature, but I think it's done nothing on that line. Sure he watches out for her, but for himself? Not a chance." Jiraiya commented. "And yet he still has his dream. That dream to be Hokage and his child are the only things that keep him going."

Tsunade's mind was heavy, and she wanted to scoff it off once more. On some level, she understood why he would want to keep his only family. Zuko's birth was a bloody mess that had really affected how she saw her son. Shizune, who had been the one to pull him out, had tried to hide the blood but Tsunade just had to look while he was covered in the bloody mess. She lowered her head, and she knew that she hadn't really treated him as nicely as she knew he deserved. She was thankful to Shizune, who was practically his second mother to him.

Jiraiya took a swing and asked, "were you ever going to tell me about my son?" Tsunade looked at him, and sighed, "it depended on if he asked or if I ever saw you again. You know now. Do you want to be a part of his life?"

"I can't," Jiraiya answered. "I still have my job to do, and it involves training Naruto and tracking the Akatsuki's whereabouts. Don't get me wrong, he's my son, and I do care about him. Who knows? Maybe I'll be around whenever he becomes a genin, and I'll take him on a journey like I'm doing with Naruto," he said, and Tsunade smirked, "We'll see if that day ever arrives."

"Take the kids and go!" Jiraiya told Naruto. Things had gotten bad, and two infants shouldn't be on the battlefield. Tsunade was going against Orochimaru and Kabuto, and things were about to get hectic. Naruto had brought Ai with him because there wasn't anywhere else he could keep her without her being along, and Shizune had brought Zuko out of sheer habit.

Naruto created a shadow clone and took his daughter and Zuko from Shizune, and ran off. The clone held the two babies, through by the time that Naruto was fighting Kabuto to defend Tsunade, the clone had poofed, but not before the two were hidden away from where far from the battle; back to the hotel where Tsunade was staying.

"There, there, it's okay babies," Naruto's clone cooed as he laid the two babies down in the same crib. Zuko was getting watery-eyed, and Ai was already in tears. Even as a clone, Naruto's heart ached, "shh, it's okay Ai," he hushed softly and wanted to cradle her, but as he just laid her down, and was still holding on to her hand, the clone vanished, leaving the girl scared and sad.

Zuko reached over to the smaller girl and pulled her into a hug but for his own sake. He had seen his mother getting hurt, and she was crying out. As a toddler, he didn't understand why and just hearing his mommy's voice in distress frightened him, just as Naruto's clone poofing away frightened the girl.

And that was how the hotel manager found the two infants an hour later when the guests were complaining about the sound of babies crying from the room.

Since returning to the village, Naruto ran around with Ai at his hip basically. He wasn't afraid to hide her or the fact that he was her mother. She was his child and people would have to deal. If they asked, he'd tell them to piss off. Though when he went after Tsunade to get her to heal Kakashi, Sasuke, and Lee, he had crashed into Konohamaru. The boy seemed really upset about something, but Naruto didn't really ask about it.

Though Konohamaru didn't hide his sudden questions about the baby girl in Naruto's arms. "Hey boss, why do you have a baby with you?"

"Huh? You mean my daughter?" Naruto said and looked at his child. She was so big already, and a year old. Actually, that reminded him, he wanted to throw a birthday party for the girl and since her birthday had passed, he would need to throw one soon. It was why he was going to talk to Iruka once more. That man had apologized so many times that Naruto was feeling bad and annoyed at it.

"You're daughter?! But how? Did a ninja stork give one to you by mistake?" He asked. Naruto chuckled, "yeah, let's go with that one." He said. "But anyways, where's the old lady with the attitude; she needs to come with me to the infirmary."

Tsunade came around the corner with Shizune with her, and in her arms, Zuko was clinging on to her kimono. Naruto looked at Tsunade, "hey! Did you forget that you're going to heal Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei and bushy brow?!"

"Yeah I guess I did," Tsunade teased, and Naruto growled, but they seemed to be heading in that direction until they ran into Shikamaru and his father.

"Well if it isn't Naruto," Shikamaru said to him. "Shouldn't you be off stuffing your face somewhere?"

"How about you? You're usually still asleep at this time?" Naruto asked as he adjusted Ai from one side of his body to the other. "Very funny, I'm out because my dad asked me to come along with him but don't ask me why" he retorted and eyed the kid. He remembered seeing her from the chunin exams, but the way the girl looked at him, it didn't seem like she remembered Shikamaru at all. She clung to Naruto's orange jacket in comfort as she wearily eyed the other teen. Naruto didn't seem to notice, and Naruto and Shikamaru talked about the new Hokage, though the conversation was very short. "So long, we're going to the infirmary! I'll see you later Shikamaru, and I'll show you the killer new technique I picked up!" Naruto said as he hurried down the steps, holding on to his child tightly so he wouldn't drop her or accidently fall.

They headed to the hospital, and the first person they went to heal was Sasuke. Sakura was in his room, having been visiting him practically every day that she could. Naruto ran in with Ai in his arms, "Sakura! Sakura! You'll never believe it! She's going to make everything okay again!" Naruto chirped. "Don't worry; Sasuke's going to alright now," he expressed in a softer voice.

Ai let go and began sucking her thumb, and looked around her surroundings but she didn't know where she was.

Naruto looked at his child, but then he turned to Sasuke as he was being healed and his eyes widen. He remembered Itachi and how he hurt Sasuke, and how he said he was his child's father. That meant Sasuke was his child's uncle…right? Naruto watched as Sasuke woke up and Sakura embraced him. They were really close, and yet for some reason, they seemed so far away.

Sasuke had woken up, and as Sakura was hugging him, he looked over to Naruto, but his eyes fell on the infant he was holding. He remembered Itachi holding that child, and he grimaced. Naruto turned to leave, making the girl's head rest on his shoulder and she looked at Sasuke unknowingly.

His hatred for the girl was sparked.

"Come on, you're not done," Naruto said to Tsunade, as he walked her to Kakashi's room.

"Disgraceful. To be taken out of the game by two low-life punks like that. I thought you were supposed to be the best," Tsunade chided as Kakashi was now sitting up, but he looked exhausted. Naruto smiled at him waking up, though, and Ai seemed to recognize Kakashi as she clapped her hands and reached out to the man.

Iruka had burst in the door and saw Kakashi awake. His eyes water with tears of joy and he went to his side. "I'm glad you're awake Kakashi, you've been out for about a month," Iruka said and turned to Naruto and Ai. Iruka hadn't actually seen Ai since Naruto came back, but when he saw her, she smiled, "you've gotten so big!" Iruka said to Ai. The girl smiled and continued to clap. She was around the two men she was most familiar with aside from Naruto and that made her feel very comfortable.

"Okay yes, now that's all fine and good, not please help my student! He's in the next room!" Gai said in tears as he wanted Tsunade to hurry up and help his student now.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

I don't own Naruto, or a song that is in this chapter

**Naruto's Baby** **Chapter 11**

Today was Sakura's day off, and she was about to go see Sasuke at the hospital. He would be there for a while longer, and she wanted her Sasuke to know that she was there for him, no matter what. "Sakura! There's someone at the door for you," her mother shouted from downstairs as she was getting ready. Sakura was confused and wondered who would visit her. "Okay, I'm on my way down."

The pink haired girl hurried downstairs to see who it was and when she saw Naruto, she blinked, "Hey Naruto, I'm just-" She was cut off but the sound of a popper.

Naruto smiled and began singing; _"This is your singing telegram, I hope it finds you well, You're invited to a party 'cause we think _you're really swell_, Ai-chan is turning one year old, so help us celebrate. The cake will be delicious, The festivities first-rate. There will be games and dancing, Bob for apples, cut a rug, and when the party's over, We'll gather 'round for a group hug, no need to bring a gift. Being there will be enough, Birthdays mean having fun with friends, not getting lots of stuff. It won't be the same without you. So we hope that you say yes. So, please, oh please R.S.V.P. and come, and be our guest!"_ Naruto ended the song with a written invitation with the location of the party and the time.

Sakura was taken aback by the sudden singing from her teammate, and she didn't know how to respond. In honesty, she was surprised that the baby survived its first year with Naruto as her parent. "I'll have to think about it," she said as her eye twitched. Naruto was just smiling and suddenly vanished, being a shadow clone. I wonder how many people will get this telegram; Sakura asked herself as she headed out to the hospital.

Naruto's clones had gone around to all of his friends and gave the same telegram that Sakura, Sasuke, and even Kakashi had received. Naruto got a few 'yeses' from his buddies. Ino, Shikamaru, Choji, said they were going.

Naruto sent a telegram to Kiba, and it was while he was walking Akamaru and Shino was with him. Naruto gave the invite to Kiba and had forgotten about Shino, but said he could come as well.

Hinata was sent one as well but at the most strange time. She was visiting Neji and Senji, and they were leaving the Hyuga compound when Naruto's telegram started. He began singing his invitation to Hinata, and after he was finished, he smiled nervously, "I guess you can come as well Neji if you want," he said.

"Wait, you have a child as well?" Neji asked.

"Yep. Her name is Ai…didn't you hear the telegram? I spend all night writing it," Naruto said. Neji didn't comment on it aside from, "we'll come," he said. The clone vanished, and Hinta was as bashful as ever. "Y-you d-don't have to go with me Neji-nii-san," she said. Neji smirked, "it's not for me, Senji needs more interaction with children his age," he said.

The boy looked up, and Neji smiled at him. The long hair male knelt down and patted his son's hand, "do you wanna go to a party?" He asked. The boy smiled and nodded. "Yes, Papa!" Neji knew he treated his son so badly, but after his fight with Naruto, and talking with Hiashi-sama, he felt like he could finally accept his son and his place in his life, and appreciate him more.

The invitations reached Rock Lee and Gai-sensei, but they didn't know if they could go because Lee was worried about his surgery, but they only told Naruto that they would try to go.

Konohamaru and his friends got an invite as well, and they wanted to go to a party.

Tsunade even got one while she was trying to do some research in her new hokage office, and while she didn't appreciate the brash invitation, she accepted the invite for Zuko. "Shizune, party on Saturday for Ai Uzumaki. Make sure Zuko has bathed and is ready before then! I'll be pulling all-nighters!"

"Yesh ma'am!" Shizune said.

The hardest people Naruto had tried to invite were the kids that Ai spent time with at Daycare. He didn't do the telegram song with them.

He knocked on the door to one of the children's house. A plump woman came out, and she eyed Naruto cautiously. "Yeah? What do you want?" She asked.

"Hello, my name is Naruto Uzumaki, and my child goes to daycare with your daughter, Tenma," he said and held the invitation out and bowed, "I would be grateful if you and your child could come celebrate Ai's first birthday with us," he said. The woman snatched the invitation, read it, and ripped it up. "As if my daughter will play with your child ever again," she said and slammed the door in his face. He looked distraught, but then he had to cheer himself up. One person not going wasn't going to ruin it for his child's big party. No way! He wouldn't allow it.

Though it didn't end with just that lady. He went to other children's houses and gave their parents the invitation, but they were all rejected. Naruto was getting more and more deflated with every rejected. After the fifth rejection, he decided to stop sending out the invitations to the parents of the children who go to Ai's daycare.

Sakura walked to Sasuke's room and before she even opened the door, she heard a crash and Sasuke yelling. "SHUT UP!" Sasuke had grabbed hold of the Naruto clone and looked very furious. Sakura gasped, and when the clone vanished, Sasuke relaxed a bit.

"Sasuke? What happened?" She asked.

"He sent a damn clone and began singing!" Sasuke said in an angry tone.

"Oh, that? That's his way of sending you an invitation to his kid's first birthday party," she said and looked around and saw the same invitation she received. "Here," Sakura said, but Sasuke smacked it out of her hand. She winced and asked, "why did you do that?"

"I'm not going to waste my time and go to some damn brat's birthday party," he said, "especially a brat who belongs to _him_."

Sakura looked at Sasuke with concerned eyes, but she changed them and smirked, "yeah, I guess going to a baby's birthday isn't exactly what we should be doing with our time," Sakura said as she crumbled up the invitation and threw it in the trash, along with hers.

"Shame on you both," it was Kakashi, and he was still in the hospital still from his own injuries. Sakura and Sasuke both turned to him and saw the disappointment in his visible eye. His arms were crossed as he leaned at the door's edge. "Naruto's working hard to throw his child's first birthday and you two throw away the invitations like it was garbage," he said. "I'm not telling you to go or not, but have some respect. He wants to give his child things he's never had and I'm sure you two have taken for granted. It's not every day that someone celebrates their first birthday ever."

Sakura looked guilty, and Sasuke just looked bitter. "It's just-"

"Sakura, are you really going to give _me_ an _excuse_?" Kakashi asked. "I'll have you know that while you might dislike Naruto, you have no reason to hate his child. Either one of you. You never blame the child for whatever crimes their parents did or didn't do. That's a lesson that doesn't teach in the academy." Kakashi actually took this as personal attack. He loved Ai like his own and to see his students act like jerks toward Naruto and toward Ai. It made him sick. "Do or don't come, I'm sure Ai will have fun being around the people who care about her and her family either way," Kakashi said and closed the door as he left.

Sakura was reconsidering going, but Sasuke was firm on not going on some dumb party for a baby who shouldn't even have been born.

Saturday was there before anyone knew it. Sakura was coming out of her home with a small gift for the baby when she saw Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji heading her way. "Hey Sakura, you going to the party as well?" Ino asked. She had a few gift boxes for the baby, as did Shikamaru and Choji.

"Yeah…You guys were invited as well?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah! Naruto said there would be cake!" Choji said excitedly. "I got the baby a butterfly toy."

"I'm giving the kid some new blankets and pillows. She probably likes naps like I do," Shikamaru said. "Though I don't know how the kid sleeps with Naruto as her dad," he said seriously. Ino rolled her eyes and said, "I told my mom about the party, and we went baby clothes shopping, and she helped me pick up some really cute dresses for her, what did you get her Sakura?"

Sakura looked at her gift and saw how small it looked in comparison to their gifts. "It's a bow."

Ino raised an eyebrow, "just one bow? For her hair? Not a set at least?" Sakura shook her head. "I don't want to go honestly. Sasuke won't there so if you're going to see him, you're out of luck," Sakura said, looking a bit smug but Ino actually shook her head. "That's your teammate's child Sakura. I would think that you would want to be there for him. I know you don't like him, but that's really harsh," Ino said and walked around her. "Come on guys; we're going to be late if we don't hurry," she said. Shikamaru and Choji followed their female teammate, leaving Sakura to feel horrible.

So Sakura ran down the street and headed for the closest store that would sell anything for kids, and when she did, she looked around for anything for a baby. The problem was, she didn't know what to buy really. What would a one-year-old need? She found a cute set of baby hats and bibs from a popular anime and decided that it was 'good enough.' She went over and paid for it before she ran out to go to the party.

The party was set for Saturday at 3 pm. From a distance, she could see Iruka-sensei messing with some pink decorations. "Iruka-sensei!" Sakura shouted with the bag in her hand. Sakura saw Hinata, Neji and some boy who resembled Neji, and he was being carried by Neji, Ino, Shikamaru and Choji who looked as distraught as the other guests. Kiba and Akamaru turned to leave, as did Shino, who was with him, but they seemed like they were leaving. Sakura blinked and asked, "how late to the party am I? Did I miss it?"

"There is no party," Iruka said solemnly. "It's canceled."

"What? Why?" Sakura asked.

"Ai's in the hospital," Iruka replied as he was getting the decorations down from the trees that it was attached to. "I just found out earlier that Ai got really sick last night and was admitted to the hospital this morning."

Sakura's eyes widen, "she's sick? That's horrible," she commented. "do you know with what?"

"I haven't seen her since a few days ago, and she was healthy then. After I get this cleaned up, I'm going to go see her in the infirmary," Iruka said and turned to everyone who was still around, "thank you all for coming today. I'm sorry there is no party, though," Iruka said sincerely.

"We understand, it's just a shame that she had to miss her own birthday," Ino said. "I'll try to visit her once she's in the clear and can have visitors but please give these to her," Ino said as she laid the boxes on the table. Everyone began leaving their presents on the table, even Sakura, who team ten noticed that she went out and bought something.

Iruka smiled because to him; it meant Ai wasn't going to grow up without having some form of friends, and it meant that Naruto had friends who cared.

Sakura was telling herself that she was only visiting Sasuke. She walked into the hospital and approached the front desk, "Hi, I'm here to visit Sasuke," she said.

"Of course miss," the nurse said, and before Sakura was about to leave, she asked the nurse, "and I would like to ask about another patient. Her name is Ai Uzumaki; maybe she's in the children's ward?" She asked. The nurse looked her up on the computer and nodded, "she's been admitted but she's not allowed to have visitors at the time."

"Okay then, thank you," Sakura said and headed toward Sasuke's room. No visitors? _Whatever she has it must be contagious. It wouldn't surprise me if Naruto got her sick somehow. He's so unclean at times. It's really a health hazard._

She got on the elevator to go to Sasuke's floor, but saw the child's ward button was on the third floor. Sakura shrugged and thought maybe she could at least see Naruto and ask him what had happened. When she got to the floor, she didn't need long to find Naruto, staring into space and looking depressed. _Of course, this is his child. He's worried sick about her._ "Hey Naruto," Sakura said and Naruto looked over. He stood up, "Hey Sakura," the life in his voice was gone.

"I…uh heard Ai was in the hospital. Did she get sick?" Sakura asked. Naruto nodded, "she had a really high fever and some strange spots started to appear on her body," he said.

"Spots? Like the chickenpox?" She asked.

"I don't know, maybe," Naruto said. "I was told I couldn't see her just yet."

"How long have you been here?" She asked him.

"About…I guess since three in the morning."

Sakura was taken back. Naruto had been for over twelve hours, and they still hadn't told him what was going on? That was really alarming. "That's not all; I just got out since Tsunade wanted to examine me as well to see if I gave her the sickness. I didn't because I'm not sick."

"That doesn't mean you're not a carrier," Sakura said. "Anyways, I'm here to visit Sasuke anyways. I just thought I'd stop by and see how the baby was doing." Sakura said. "I'll see you later Naruto." She walked away from her teammate and back to the elevator and headed to Sasuke's floor.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

I don't own Naruto

**Naruto's Baby** **Chapter 12**

The girl slept in her crib, sucking her thumb in bliss. IVs were injected into her small frame but the medicine she was on allowed her to not stir from her sleep. Naruto stared just feet away and the only thing that blocked the two of them from being together was a glass window. He stared helplessly as his child was being treated. It wasn't that long ago when she was in the hospital and was sick. The doctors had ruled out that hand-and-foot illness she had earlier in the year.

Naruto had been there since three in the morning and only moved when he needed to pace around. No one was saying anything to him, and it was driving him crazy!

Iruka and Kakashi approached Naruto with concern looks. "How is she doing?" Iruka asked as he placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "The doctors haven't told me anything, and it's driving me crazy!" Naruto grabbed his hair and was yanking on his blonde locks that were greasy from lack of showering. Kakashi knelt down, "go home and get cleaned up. You can't do anything right now. They'll find out what's wrong with her and we'll be here for her in your place."

Naruto looked uneasy and nodded, "Fine, I'll go home and get cleaned up, but I'm coming right back," he said and gave one more look at his sleeping baby before he left. Iruka and Kakashi watched Naruto head out of the building.

It was only a few minutes later when two elders, Homura and Koharu, approached Iruka and Kakashi. "Iruka-san," Homura said, "may we have a word with you in private."

Iruka's eyes widened and looked over to Kakashi, who nodded, "I'll stay and keep an eye on her," he assured, and Iruka followed the two elders out of the hospital.

They met up in the council meeting room, and when they took their seats, Iruka sat in front of them. "Thank you for joining us Iruka," Koharu said. "This manner is for the guardianship of Uzumaki Ai." The senior woman said and had the records out. "As you know, we had to create a new file for the girl since her records were stolen this year, and we've had to add some new information," she said.

"Of course updating files is nothing new, but when we were notified of some interesting data, we fear that Naruto's parental rights may be in question," Homura stated clearly. Iruka stiffened a bit. He knew exactly how the elders felt toward Naruto and his child. They wanted Naruto to abort and to cover up his attack as though nothing happened. It was the Third Hokage alone who protected Naruto and his rights. "It appears that the child's DNA has been tested and she has a paternal connection to the Uchiha line," Homura stated as he pulled up the results.

"If I may speak," Iruka said, "but you can't blame the child for being born with those genetics. Ai is an innocent baby."

"We're saying that her guardianship needs to be switched over to an adult, Naruto is a child still. We've tried numerous times to talk to the Third Hokage about his judgment about allowing the boy to keep guardianship of the child. We are only thinking of what's best for the girl's interest." Homura said.

"Iruka, since you have been in the child's life since her birth, we thought you would want to become her parental guardian and raise her as your own daughter," Koharu said.

Iruka blinked in surprise, and his mouth was hanging open a bit. "Me…raise Ai?" He asked. "I mean; I do love the girl as though she was my child but…to be her full parental guardian?"

Iruka looked at the two elders. "Naruto will lose his parental rights whether or not you choose to become the girl's parental guardian Iruka. We wanted to respect the Hokage's wishes and have the child be raised in a familiar environment," Koharu said.

"Who else would raise Ai other than myself?" Iruka asked.

"I will," Iruka turned his head and saw an elderly man who had one eye covered up by bandages that wrapped around his head, dark hair and had one arm from the looks of it. He also had an x-scar on his chin. A cold chill went down Iruka's spine as the man stumbled in with a cane and he joined the meeting. "Iruka-san, this is Danzo, one of the council members and in charge of the organization Root," Homura said, introducing the newcomer.

"Excuse me for sounding out of place, but why would you be interested in raising a baby?" Iruka asked. The man looked over and said, "well the child in question isn't just a child, now is she? Child of Uzumaki Naruto, the holder of the Kyuubi, and now we find out she's an offspring of an Uchiha? That will be some power for a child to possess. I believe my organization would be excellent for the child once she begins her training to become a shinobi," he said. "I can arrange for private tutors to train her."

"With no disrespect Danzo-sama," Iruka said, "but a child needs more than training. They need nurturing and care and love," he said and turned to the elders, "I'll take her as my child. I'll adopt her before I let her be training her entire life." Iruka was an educator in the shinobi arts and while he knew how difficult being a ninja is, he also knew that children needed to be allowed to be children. To run around and play and be curious until they become shinobi.

"Now Iruka, while we want you to raise this girl, you can't do it alone. Adoption laws require there to be at least two parental units. Do you have a wife who will be willing to adopt this child?"

"Not a wife…" Iruka mumbled under his breath. "But Hatake Kakashi will be her second guardian. We've signed a contract with Naruto about if something happened to him, we would be her legal guardians," he stated.

The elders looked through Ai's file and found a copy of the contract in question. They read it over and said, "in the event that Uzumaki Naruto, is deemed unfit, unable, and/or unwilling to properly raise Uzumaki Ai, she will then be in the guardianship of Umino Iruka and/or Hatake. If neither of the signed adults cannot care for Uzumaki Ai, she will then be in the guardianship of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen or the Hokage who succeeds in him should they be willing," Homura read off. "It seems that this is all in order."

Iruka nodded. Of course, it's in order, the Third Hokage signed off on it, and it was notarized by another official. Since the Third Hokage was deceased, Iruka and/or Kakashi would take care of her if something were to happen to Naruto. If they couldn't, well, they would have to ask Tsunade since she was the successor to the Third Hokage. Would she even want to raise Ai?

Koharu grabbed another document and offers it to Iruka. He stood up and took the forms, "what is this?"

"Adoption papers. Once they are filled out, the fifth Hokage will need to look through it and approve it," Koharu explained. "We ask that you have this filled by the end of the month. That should be plenty of time to have everything arranged for the child's wellbeing. "We do require one thing if you choose to adopt the child. We will demand that her surname be changed. With Naruto being the Kyuubi, she may be targeted from the association as well."

Iruka bowed and took his leave. His mind was heavy with guilt. He felt cornered, and he couldn't imagine Naruto's reaction once he found out about this entire mess. Why would they even want to cause such a stir for him anyways? What was their end goal? Did they care about Ai's wellbeing?

Or was this for their own agendas?

Meanwhile, Sasuke was awake and frustrated. Sakura had left to go fetch something for him to eat, and Sasuke was left alone with his thoughts. He thought of his brother and the last encounter. _"Naruto's the one you're really after"_ Jiraiya's voice rang through his mind as he talked to Itachi. Naruto's child was also on his mind as well. Itachi had said that she was his child. Sasuke heard that part loud and clear. It also meant that Sasuke wasn't the last Uchiha. He couldn't help but despise the girl. Not to mention how powerful Naruto must have gotten with his training. Sakura had told him all about it, and how he trained with Jiraiya, one of the legendary sannin, and it was him who brought Tsunade-sama to the village, and she healed him.

Sasuke laid back down and shut his eyes, and he imagined the kind of girl that infant would become. Uzumaki and Uchiha blood mixed. He imagined her to be just as annoying as Naruto, but with Itachi's skills. Someone who would come after him after he killed Itachi. Wouldn't it be poetic is she went after Sasuke for killing Itachi? Or would she even know?

He opened his eye from what felt like a few minutes, but it was actually thirty minutes. He could hear footsteps approaching his door, and when he saw Sakura's silhouetted head, he merely thought nothing of it. It wasn't until he heard Naruto's voice that he grew upset. "Okay Sakura, I'm here," he said, though it wasn't as chipper as it may had sounded. Iruka and Kakashi had come and told Naruto to take a few minutes away from his pacing around.

"Look Sasuke, I brought you some apples," Sakura chimed. "Now, where did I put that knife?" Sakura asked. "It's right in front of you," Naruto said. Their voices only became duller to Sasuke as he recalled all of Naruto's achievements, his own acknowledgments of the blonde's feats, and how his brother even wanted Naruto.

"Look, I'm going to go," Naruto said as Sakura was peeling the apple. "Ai needs me," he said, and she turned to him, "why did you even come up here in the first place?" Sakura asked in an annoyed tone. "Because I was told to take a break from looking after my child!" Naruto defended. Sakura scoffed and sliced the apple and offered it to Sasuke, who smacked the plate away from her and nearly hit Naruto in the process.

"Sasuke? What the heck?" Naruto asked angrily. Sasuke turned to Naruto and had a very pissed off expression. "Hey, you don't have to glare at me like that," Naruto stated. It felt as though Sasuke was throwing kunai with his expression alone.

"You. Naruto."

"Yeah I'm listening."

"I want you to fight me. Fight me now."

Naruto was taken back at it, more so than Sakura was. "We're in a hospital, and I have to go check on my child. She's sick and not to mention you just got patched up by Grandma Tsunade," Naruto said seriously.

Sasuke jumped out of bed, "I don't care if she's your child. That brat should never have been born Sasuke yelled. Naruto's eyes widen with anger. "What?" His voice was a deep growl, and he shook, trying to hold back his fury.

Sakura tried to get in-between the two, to stop their nonsense about fighting each other, but both were blinded by rage. Sasuke's anger over Naruto's strength that had surpassed his own, and Naruto's anger over how Sasuke dared to say that his child shouldn't have been born. Sasuke moved his head, "follow me."

Kakashi looked at the sleeping girl, relieved that what she had wasn't serious. It turned out that Ai just had the case of the chicken pox after all. It would pass in a week or so, given the days. It could have been worse.

"You got lucky Ai-chan," Kakashi chimed as he looked down at the infant. "You'll be safe here for a few minutes while I go check on Sasuke, right Ai?" Kakashi smiled behind his mask and left to go check on his student…

"Let it go. You got to forget about revenge," Kakashi said as he had Sasuke pinned to the tree. He and Naruto just had their fight and which both tried to use their most powerful moves on each other. "What?" Sasuke demanded.

"Believe me. In this work, I've met a lot of guys who feel the way you do. Trust me, for those who follow the path of revenge, it never ends well. You'll only tear yourself apart. And even if you succeed and you get your revenge, what will you have then? Nothing. Emptiness," Kakashi spoke earnestly to Sasuke, but his words never sunk through to Sasuke. They never would.

Naruto had taken his child out of the hospital once he was told about what she had and how to care for her chickenpox. Naruto wrapped his baby in her favorite blanket and carried her out and began heading straight him. Ai was finally awake, looking at her papa with half-lid eyes and some red coloring around her face. He would need to be extra careful with her.

"Naruto," it was Iruka, and he followed behind them. "How's Ai doing?"

"She's got something called the chickenpox. I can take care of her, though," Naruto said. Iruka cleared his throat and said, "ya know…since there is a low number of ninjas at the moment, why don't I help you? I mean, you might get called for a mission, and it'll be easier if I was already watching her," Iruka said. "Besides, you look like you need a break."

Naruto smiled a bit, "I think I do. I mean, Sasuke's got me really pissed off, and I don't want Ai seeing it, especially while she's sick," he said and handed the girl to Iruka. "I have to think about her needs before my own, ya know? Otherwise, I wouldn't be a good parent." Naruto said, feeling somewhat relieved since he could trust Iruka again and have the help was needed. "It's strange…a year ago she just arrived," Naruto said. "Over a year…I know I missed her actual birthday, but I was on the road training, but I tried to celebrate it when we came back," Naruto said. "I know Naruto, and it would have been a great party," Iruka said. "Just go get some needed rest Naruto. I promise Ai will be better before you know it."

Naruto leaned down and kissed his baby on the forehead, "I love you Ai," he said, and Iruka paled a bit. "Naruto! What if you catch the chickenpox from her and spread it to others?" Naruto laughed, "I'll just make sure I don't go kissing anyone," he said and headed off.

Iruka looked down at Ai, who was staring up at Iruka but began to reach for her own face, scratching herself. "Come on Ai, let's go home." He said and headed to his apartment to take care of the girl.

Sasuke left the village. Shikamaru and his squad had failed to retrieve him. While Naruto recovered in the hospital, Jiraiya had taken him in as his personal student. The cache? Ai couldn't go with him. Naruto turned it down as soon as he could, but he caved in. The Akatsuki would be after him and his child if he didn't train to become stronger and with the years they would need to train, he wouldn't be able to gain the experience if she came with them.

And Naruto knew she wouldn't be happy growing up on the road.

So on the day that he was heading out, he moved Ai's belongings to Iruka's place, and Naruto held his child tightly. She was no longer plague with the chickenpox and was smiling happily. Blissfully unaware of what was going on around her.

Iruka hesitated at first, but he said, "Naruto, I need to sign something," he said. "It's in case Ai needs to go to the hospital. Kakashi and I need to write permission from you to allow us to give necessary medical needs like yearly shots and whatnot," Iruka said and showed him where he needed to sign.

Naruto didn't even blink, "I trust you'll only look after her best interests," Naruto said, and with one hand holding a pen, he signed his name, and the other was holding Ai. Naruto smiled, "here," he said, and Iruka nodded, guilt crawling over his being heavy. Naruto looked at his daughter and said, "well Ai…I wish I can take you with me. I really do…but you're in good hands with Iruka and Kakashi, and it'll only be for a few years. After that, I'll be back, and I'll see you ever single day after that." He said and turned to Iruka. "I'll write every day and send gifts!" He said, and Iruka nodded. "Of course you will Naruto."

Naruto hugged Ai once more and gave her numerous had kissed on her forehead before he gave her to Iruka. "I'll see you later," he said and had to leave. "Bye Iruka-sensei. Bye Ai," those were the last words Naruto said to them before he left and went to go meet with Jiraiya at the gate.

Iruka's stomach felt tight, and he looked over to the document that Naruto signed. It was more than just a release form for Ai's medical needs; it was the adoption form that surrendered his rights to Ai.

Iruka had talked it over with Kakashi, and while Kakashi agreed to sign it, he didn't know Naruto signed it with prior knowledge. So when Iruka filled it out, he looked at the name that he needed to fill out to change Ai's surname. He looked at the girl in his arm and hip and kissed her cheek. Should her name be Hatake Ai or Umino Ai?

_Umino Ai._

Iruka smiled when he signed it and said, "you're my daughter now Ai," he said. Iruka placed Ai down in her high chair before he grabbed the form and folded it up. It was the end of the month, and he needed to turn it into Tsunade. He turned to Ai and picked her up and said, "can you say, papa?"

Ai's babbles had turned to more coherent words, but it wasn't perfect. "Say, papa," Iruka said again as he headed to the door. He was going to the Hokage's office to have Tsunade approve the forms.

"…Papa!" Ai said, and Iruka smiled. "That's right baby." He kissed her forehead, "I'm your papa now."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

I don't own Naruto

**Naruto's Baby** **Chapter 13**

"Stupid cat," Konohamaru grunted as they had returned to the office where missions were given. He and his team had just found the cat known as "Tora" and had returned it to its owner. They watched as the large woman tightly hugged her cat and how the poor thing tried to get away. Iruka, Tsunade, and two other ninjas were sitting behind their table and sighed when Konohamaru demanded a tougher mission.

_Another Naruto that's for sure, _Iruka thought to himself as started to think of the blonde and worried. He would be coming home any day now, and while he was excited to see how much had he grown and how much stronger, his homecoming was going to be filled with mixed emotions.

The team had left, and Iruka was just off his own shift. "I'm off now," Iruka said. Tsunade stopped him for a moment, "I just got word from Jiraiya. He and Naruto will be back in the village later today," she said with a small smile. Iruka smiled back, "Yeah. I missed him. The village has been too quiet without him around."

"Too quiet? I would figure raising his kid would keep your life pretty entertained," Tsunade joked light. Iruka laughed along, but he commented, "Actually, Ai is…well…not as loud as Naruto. She's pretty energetic but I think Kakashi and I whipped her too much in shape sometimes."

"Ah, don't sweat it. Ai's a good kid. Zuko practically adores her," Tsunade laughed.

"How's he doing?" Iruka asked. Tsunade smiled, "I'm glad he takes more after me than his father," she said. Zuko's father's identity hadn't been released to the public and not even the boy knew who he was. All Zuko know was his mother and his Aunt Shizune. "I'm about to teach him some basic taijutsu. Why not have Ai tag along for the lesson? Have you and Kakashi started her lessons?"

"Well, sort of. Kakashi's teaching her hand signs now. She won't be able to use jutsu for a few more years, but she likes the hand sign game," Iruka said. The hand sign game was ordinary for shinobi children who were just learning the hand signs for jutsus. Older kids were the ones who played "ninja."

Iruka waved Tsunade off after a while more of talking and Iruka's gut twisted with guilt. _I wonder how Naruto will react when he meets Ai…and when he hears how he's no longer her parental guardian._

Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon were walking around the village when Konohamaru stopped. He sensed something and kept his guard up. "Konohamaru? Why'd you stop?" Udon asked. The genin shushed his teammates and said, "I know you're around here, come on out!"

His teammates raised their eyebrows until they heard a high pitched voice.

"KONO-NII-SAN!" It came from the air. A girl jumped on Konohamaru's head, taking him down to the ground. The dust cloud cleared, and a child was on top of Konohamaru head. She clapped her hands. "Again! Again!"

"Ai-chan?" Moegi recognized the girl instantly and went over to her teammate, along with Udon. The girl was about thirty-five inches tall and weighed about twenty-five pounds. She had dirty blonde hair that was about the length to her shoulders and with bangs that covered her forehead. Her hair was also kept in a ponytail like how Iruka kept his hair. Instead of it spiking out, it was smooth and hung down much like Ino's did. The girl was wearing a long dark blue shirt with some dark green tights that went to her knees, acting like shorts. Her eyes were like Naruto's in shape, but they onyx coloring was nothing like Naruto's.

Konohamaru groaned and got up. "Ai-chan! I've told you numerous times not to jump out like that!" He scolded the girl, who only laughed at him. "you're funny when you're mad Kono-Nii-san," she said, using her nickname she gave him since his name was really long. Konohamaru rolled his eyes and said, "Okay fine, you win. But if you get hurt, it's not my fault." He got up and got Ai off him.

Ai had stood before she saw them walking off, and she followed after him, grabbing his long blue scarf. "Kono-Nii-san, where are you going?"

"We're just walking around," Konohamaru said.

"Can I come?" Ai asked.

"Fine," Konohamaru said, and they walked off. Ai followed with a smile, and since she was a few paces behind him, she kicked her feet as she walked, still hanging on to the scarf.

The group of genins soon saw Sakura, who was walking on her own. "Hey, Sakura!" Konohamaru and the squad when running over, and Ai followed when she let go on his scarf. She knew Sakura. She was always around her daddy, Kakashi and her papa, Iruka. "Hey Konohamaru," she said and noticed Ai. "Hi Ai," she smiled at the girl. Sakura treated the girl much more nicely since Naruto left and Iruka and Kakashi were raising her. "Where are you heading off to?" Konohamaru asked.

"The main gate. I have to pick up this morning's pedestrian traffic ledger for Tsunade-sama. Do you wanna come along?" Sakura asked. They nodded and all started to walk around the path.

As they walked and talked, Ai was distracted. As a child, this wasn't anything new. She had been around boring adults most of her life and the only ones close to her age, of her interest, was Zuko-nii and a boy named Senji. Zuko was her closest friend as she often spent time with him, and Senji was a new friend of hers.

When she felt really bored, she wandered off. She looked around for anything to catch her interest, and when she did, she walked off as the four ninjas were distracted by their conversations. The villagers knew Ai as the child of Iruka and Kakashi, and if she were to be in trouble, they knew exactly who to call. One of the older salesladies smiled as the girl was looking at her stock of jewelry. "Hello there Ai-chan," she smiled at the girl. "Are you here to scout for a gift for one of your daddies?" She joked with a playful wink. Ai shook her head no. "I'm just looking. They're so shiny," she said, and the woman laughed. "I hope so. Otherwise, they wouldn't be as pretty now would they?" She said.

Ai laughed and began to walk off, kicking her feet up a bit like she did before. She knew the village like the back of her hand. She knew what parts to not enter and where it was okay to go. One of her places to go was the playground, so she headed there.

A boy with light blonde hair stood there with his hands on his hips. "I bet you won't do it!" He shouted up the tree.

"I will do it!" Another boy's voice came out from the tree. A few kids were gathered around the base of the tree when Ai walked over and asked, "what's going on?"

"Senji is trying to do some move he saw one of the ninjas do earlier," Zuko explained. The boy was a little taller than Ai, but only by a few inches since he was a year older. He was wearing a kimono that was the same color green as his mother's and with the same seal on the back. There were two little red marks at the corner of his eyes.

Ai looked up to see her friend, Senji, on a tree branch. Senji was about the same height as Ai, but he had longer hair that was pulled into a low ponytail and he wore traditional gray kimono with the Hyuuga clan symbol on it. "Just watch! I'll show you how awesome I am!" He said as he pulled out a kunai. Ai gasped and pointed, "where did he get a kunai?"

"Apparently he stole it from one of the ninja's pouches while they weren't looking," one kid answered. They all watched as Senji threw the kunai to another tree, but there was a thin cord attached to it. AI recognized it, but she couldn't remember what it was called. She watched as Senji went onto the wire and was trying to do what looked like a balancing act. When he got to the center, and all of the kids were watching, he bounced off the cord and pulled out more kunai.

"He's trying to hit the marks!" One kid said in excitement.

"But he has to do the flips as well!" Another said.

Senji had flipped himself in the air and began flinging kunai in what he thought were exact spots, but he was just throwing them randomly and scaring the other kids to running off. Ai and Zuko dodged out of the way in time but watched as Senji was coming down hard and fast. The only the saved him from a hard fall was the trees that he crashed through. Senji came out hanging out by his hair that got tangled in the branch. He began screaming for help, and the kids started to run. Ai and Zuko watched as Senji was screaming and struggling. The two children jumped up to the tree and saw how tangled Senji's hair was in the tree. "It looks bad," Ai said. "What can we do Zuko?"

"Looks like it'll need to be cut," Zuko said. He looked around the area and pointed down, "Ai, can you get the kunai down there?" Zuko said. "WHAT? YOU CAN'T CUT MY HAIR YOU GUYS!" Senji screamed. "MY DAD WILL YELL AT ME FOR CUTTING MY HAIR!"

"He'll be even angrier when he finds out about this!" Zuko said as the boy struggled even more as he hung. Ai jumped down and picked up the kunai. It was the first time she touched a weapon, her fathers have been very clear about her training and what they wanted her to learn. Weapons were for when she was a little older.

Ai jumped back up and handed Zuko the kunai. The blonde boy grabbed a bunch of hair and just began cutting. It was like clumps and was sticky as well. "What is this?" Zuko asked as he felt the sap that was stuck in Senji's hair. The boy wouldn't shut up as Zuko kept it up and when Senji was feed, he fell to the bottom. Zuko and Ai jumped down to the bottom and looked down at their friend. "Senji, are you okay?"

"NO I'M NOT OKAY!" He sat up and held the remains of his hair on his head. Zuko had to cut off a lot of it, and it was uneven. "MY HAIR! IT'S GONE!" He cried.

"If I hadn't had cut it, you would still be up there!" Zuko said and smirked, "I told you that you couldn't make the move and I was right."

"I did so do it!" Senji said and looked around, and saw the scattered kunai, none of them hitting their targets. Not even close. He frowned deeply and the tears returned.

"It doesn't look that bad Senji," Ai said, trying to be comforting.

The group of kids was suddenly met with an angry Iruka. "What on Earth happened here?" He asked with his arms crossed. "Why are their kunai's all over the place? Were you kids using weapons?" He asked.

Ai lowered her head but then raised it when she felt that she needed to defend herself, "Papa. I didn't!"

"Yeah! It was all Senji! Those are his!" Zuko said. "And he got stuck in the tree, and we had to cut him down!" Senji said.

Iruka looked at the group and sighed, "Zuko go home. Ai, come with me," He said and went over to Senji and helped him up and looked him over. "No other injuries. You're lucky Senji," Iruka cooed and took his hand, along with Ai's, "come on, I'll walk you home Senji," he said and began heading to the Hyuuga district.

"Thank you for bringing him home," Neji said as he took his son inside. "What happened to his hair?" He asked. Iruka looked down at Ai and pushed her to answer. She looked up to Neji and gulped, "Senji was…trying to do a ninja move, and it ended with him getting stuck in a tree by his hair. Zuko and I freed him by cutting his hair." Ai said, intimidated by the older male. He was always serious, and Ai was sure she had never seen the man smile.

"Well then," Neji began, "I'll be sure to give him a scolding. Again, thank you for bringing him home Iruka-san," Neji said and closed the door behind him.

Iruka and Ai left the compound. They walked for a while, and Iruka looked down at his child, who looked worried. "You're not in trouble Ai," He said, and the girl looked up at him. "You were just trying to help your friend. You have no reason to be in trouble." Iruka assured, and he looked at his child, and that same guilt feeling from before came before him.

Iruka knelt down to Ai and asked, "Whose girl are you?" He asked.

Ai smiled brightly, "Papa's!"

Iruka smiled and picked her up, "that's right….and don't you forget it!"

"Ichiraku! Ichiraku!" Ai said as she ran ahead of Iruka. It was later in the evening and Ai was hungry. Like Naruto, Ai loved the ramen stand, though it didn't help that Iruka was raising her to like it. Ai ran in and jumped onto a stool. "One bowl of chicken flavor ramen!" She said energetically.

The old man chef smiled from where he was making a bowl for another customer. "Oh, Ai-chan! Glad you dropped by!" He said.

Ai plopped herself down and spin in the stool a bit before she noticed the man who was looking at her with wide eyes. She stopped turning and smiled, "hiya mister! Do you like Ichiraku Ramen as well?" She said. "I love it! My name is Umino Ai! What's your name?" She asked with a toothy grin.

It was Naruto whom she was talking too.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

I don't own Naruto

**Naruto's Baby** **Chapter 14**

When Naruto came back to the village, he didn't immediately see his child. He had to first go through the bell test with Sakura and Kakashi. In fact, Naruto had put off seeing Ai because Kakashi had said that she was with Iruka and that they would all catch up later. Naruto was so excited. He hadn't seen her in such a long time, but he was sure that he would recognize her instantly.

After all, she was his daughter.

Naruto had decided to go to Ichiraku since he was hungry. He wanted Sakura to join, but he didn't have the cash to pay for both of their bowls after all.

He had just sat down when a girl had run up to a stool and climbed on a stool a few away from him and ordered a meal. Naruto looked over at the girl and watched as she spun around a few times childishly before she stopped and turned to him.

His jaw had dropped when he looked at the girl. _Umino_ Ai? Umino!? What was more surprising was the girl's appearance. While she was chubby-cheeked and was smiling, Naruto saw the huge resemblance between her and Sasuke and Itachi. She had the face of an Uchiha. Her hair was even darker than it was when she was a baby. It was borderline brown. Naruto examined the girl. Her bangs were cut straight across and with her hair in the ponytail she could have been a Sasuke clone.

"Ai-chan, don't run like that. You know better," Iruka came in and laughed. He saw Naruto and smiled, "Wow Naruto, you've grown so much," he said.

"Not as much as her apparently," Naruto said and turned to Ai. The girl tilted her head in confusion. Naruto smiled and pointed to himself, "do you know who I am?"

The girl only smiled, "You never told me your name mister."

Naruto turned to Iruka with a stern expression, "why doesn't my daughter know me?" He asked. "You never told her about me?"

Iruka gulped a bit and nervously laughed, "why don't I treat you to some ramen and I'll explain everything okay?" He suggested. Iruka sat down next to Naruto and said, "Ai, move over here," he said, and Ai nodded. She got up and hurried over to Iruka and got on the stool. Naruto watched her move and smiled, "you've gotten so big since the last time I saw you Ai," he smiled. Ai gave him a confused expression, "you've met me before?"

"Yeah, of course, I'm your-" Naruto was cut off by Iruka clearing his throat. Naruto looked at Iruka. "Ai is too young to understand some things," Iruka said, and that was when Naruto realized that Iruka purposefully kept Ai from Naruto. "Are you serious Iruka-sensei? You mean you've never told her who her papa was?"

Ai turned her head sharply to the adults.

"I can't believe it!" Naruto said and looked over to Ai, kneeling down to the girl in a pleading tone, "Ai, I'm your papa. Your birth Papa! Come on baby, don't you remember me?" He said and Ai shook her head no. "You're not my papa!" The girl said in a scared tone. She visibly retracted away from Naruto. The strange man was scaring her and his loud voice was making her very upset, as though he was yelling at her like how Iruka and Kakashi would when she did something bad.

"Yes I am," Naruto said and pulled out one of his most prized possessions, a photo with him and Ai. She was a little under a year old in the picture, but she was there, being held by Naruto. "That's you when you were a baby, and that's me." Ai's face twisted to a very confused state as she couldn't comprehend this. Her eyes darted around for a source of comfort and they fell on Iruka.

"Naruto enough!" Iruka said firmly. "You're not…you're not her parental guardian anymore. Kakashi and I have been since you've been gone. Now all you're doing is yelling at a three-year-old." Iruka pointed out. Ai's face drained of color, and she was confused. What was going on?

Naruto gritted his teeth, "what the hell do you mean I'm not her parental guardian anymore?"

Iruka looked guilty, but he had to be honest now, "you signed away your rights the day you left for training. Ai's name was changed to Umino Ai because I am her parent now. I've been taking care of her. I see her as my own daughter. She's my child."

Naruto's heart swelled in his chest and deflated. He looked over to the girl, and he felt betrayed, by everyone, especially by Iruka. "You…tricked me? That day?" He asked. Iruka looked away and shut his eyes, "you don't understand. I did it to protect her."

"No, fuck you!" Naruto shouted. "You did it because you wanted a child of your own but you couldn't so you had to take mine!"

Iruka's eyes widen, and he got upset and rightly so. His chest swelled up with pained and he fought back the tears, "I don't need to be treated like this," Iruka said, and he got up. He went over and picked up Ai, "come on Ai, let's go," he said. "What about ramen?" She asked. "We'll come another time," Iruka said and carried her off. Naruto got up and went after Iruka. "Just wait a second. You're not taking my daughter with you. She belongs to me!"

"She's my daughter since you went training Naruto!" Iruka said as he held Ai securely.

"Bull crap! I said you can watch over her while I was gone. I never said she was yours!" Naruto yelled. People began to watch as the two began to yell and argue with each other. All of the yelling was making Ai crying, and when Naruto saw it, he reached out and grabbed Ai. "It's okay baby! Your real papa his here now," Naruto said, and Ai screamed as though she was being murdered. She began to kick about and when she wriggled herself away, she ran from Naruto and bumped into Kakashi's legs. He looked down and saw the girl in tears and Iruka and Naruto about to go at each other's throats. He sighed and picked the girl up, patting her head. "It's okay Ai. I'll fix this," he said and went over to the arguing idiots.

"Stop it you two," Kakashi said sternly, and it was enough to get them to stop and turn. "You two are acting more childish than the three-year-old I'm holding," Kakashi said. "What is the problem anyways?"

Naruto growled, and as he and Iruka began to bicker, Kakashi stopped them. "Okay, enough! Until this matter is settled, Ai will be staying with me in my apartment," he said. "Tomorrow morning, both of you come to the Hokage's office, and we'll get his settled, whatever this is," Kakashi said, disappointed in both of them.

Kakashi poofed away with Ai in his arms.

Kakashi tucked the girl in his guest futon. He still lived in a small apartment, and it was the best he could do on such short notice. While he often stayed with Iruka, he had this place for some space. "Comfy Ai?" He asked, and Ai nodded. The girl's hair was down, no longer in the high ponytail that she often wore it in. Her dark blonde locks framing her face. Though it was about shoulder-length, she had very thick hair that came in only a few years ago and was often hard to brush, even for Iruka and Kakashi, who had to hold down the girl every morning to manage it or else it would be nappy. Iruka had teasingly called Ai's hair "the lion's mane," with its spiky nature. Ai was wearing one of Kakashi's old tee shirts to wear to bed since she didn't have her clothes at his apartment. "Daddy?" The girl said. "Who was the yelling man?" She asked. "The one with yellow hair?"

The gray-haired ninja sighed, "well…he's….how do I explain this?" Kakashi asked since he was unsure of where to begin this. "Well, you know how your friend Zuko has a mama?" Ai nodded. "Granny Tsu-Tsu," she said. "Right…and you know how your friend Senji lives with his papa?" He asked. Ai nodded again. "Papa and I saw him earlier. Senji got his hair caught in a tree, and we had to cut him down."

Kakashi laughed lightly, "sounds like a lot happened today for you," he commented. "Well, that man with the yellow hair…is your birth mama," he explained.

Ai thought he was kidding, "no he's not. Mama's are girls…or was that a girl?" She asked as she could have been wrong. There were many types of girls and women she had met. Sakura and Ino were among the ones she was most familiar with. "He did have yellow hair like Ino has…maybe he was a girl."

"Perhaps mama was the wrong word," Kakashi said with a nervous laugh. "Ai. His name is Naruto. He used to take care of you when you were really young," he explained.

"Then why don't I remember him?" Ai asked.

"You're too young to remember to remember him. What would you say is your earliest memory?" Kakashi asked her. Ai sat up and looked at the ceiling, thinking. The earliest memory she could picture was seeing Iruka's smiling face. She loved to reach out and touch his face scar. "Papa," she replied happily. "I remember Papa's smile."

Kakashi smiled behind his mask and said, "and Papa is the man who's always been there for you, right?" Ai nodded. Then she frowned, "he was yelling today…at the yellow haired man. Why?"

Kakashi decided to best end the night on that note. "One day, you'll be old enough to understand everything and I'll be an old man by then. Let's try not to fasten our ages shall we?" He joked with her and retuck the girl in. "Now it's night time, and I have to make sure that you have the best dreams of fighting off the evil goblins who like to eat on little girl's dreams," Kakashi said and tickled the girl a bit, making her laugh. "Stop it daddy! It tickles!" She said. Kakashi lowered his mask and kissed the girl on the forehead. "Sweet dreams Ai," he said and pulled it up, but Ai saw the small mole that was on his chin. "Night night daddy," Ai said before she turned to her side and Kakashi closed the door for her to sleep in peace.

Tsunade was on her way to her desk early in the morning and was not in a good mood. "Shizune, sake, pronto," she ordered, and Shizune sighed, "Tsunade-sama, you promised that you would cut back on the sake in the mornings," Shizune said. Zuko was following behind them as he often did in the mornings. He walked alongside Tonton and sometimes would chase the pink piggy, but the pig would always outrun the boy, but the boy found it enjoyable regardless.

When they arrived at the door, Kakashi was there with Ai. The blonde woman was surprised. "Kakashi? What brings you here so early in the morning?"

"I need to talk to you in private," Kakashi said. "And I figured Shizune could do me a favor and watch Ai," Kakashi said. Ai ran over to Zuko and hugged the boy. "Morning Zuko!"

Tsunade smiled at the girl and then back at Kakashi, but her smile turned into a stern expression. "Alright then. Shizune, drop the kids off at daycare and bring me my sake on the double."

"Yes milady," Shizune said and took Ai and Zuko's hands when they separated. "Come on kids, let's go," she said, and the two children went off without complaint.

Tsunade ushered Kakashi inside and she went to her desk. "I guess this isn't a social visit. So what's going on?" She asked.

Kakashi went straight to the point, "Naruto and Iruka argued over Ai last night in public. Naruto seems to have the idea that Ai would be given back to his custody as soon as he came back to the village," Kakashi started off. Tsunade was surprised by this, "he knows that she is legally yours and Iruka's daughter now, right?" She asked.

"That's what we need to get to the bottom of," Kakashi said. "Iruka said he knew when she signed the papers."

"So why do I get the feeling that it's not the case at all?" Tsunade asked aloud. Kakashi had the same feeling she had. "Something tells me that Naruto had no idea and if that's the case, him signing that paper voids it."

Tsunade groaned visibly, "get them both in here. Now!"

"I told them last night to come here. They should be here any minute," Kakashi said.

Iruka and Naruto arrived at Tsunade's office thirty minutes later. The woman had a few cups of sake by then, and she had pulled out the necessary documents needed for this issue. Kakashi was standing beside the desk, on Tsunade's left, and had his arms crossed. Shizune wasn't present in the room.

"Alright, you decided to make complete asses out of yourself, and now we have to figure out who gets custody of Umino Ai," Tsunade said.

"Uzumaki Ai," Naruto corrected and turned to Iruka, "I never agreed to change her name."

"Right," Tsunade said. "Now, when you left two and a half years ago, did you not sign this," Tsunade said and pushed the document forward. Naruto went over and looked at the paper, reading it. Iruka felt horrible because it was the same document he had lied about. Naruto re-read it, and when he saw his signature, he turned to Iruka, "you said this was a medical release form for Ai," Naruto hissed. "For in the case of emergencies!" He yelled. "You made me sign a paper that surrendered my rights to my only child?!"

Iruka stood firm and said, "I did what I thought was right for Ai! That's all I ever thought about was what was good for her well-being!"

"Changing her name and making her call you papa isn't doing her any favors!" Naruto shouted.

"CUT THE YELLING!" Tsunade shouted over them, making them silent. Iruka spoke up, "Tsunade-sama. With all due respect, I did what I believed to be in the girl's best interest. Ai has thrived being under Kakashi and I's care."

"So I'm suddenly a horrible parent? Who took care of her when she was born and every day since?" Naruto claimed.

"ME!" Iruka screamed truthfully. Naruto was taken back by that, but Iruka had continued, "I DID! You needed my help constantly! It felt like I was raising two babies when she was born, to be honest!" Iruka pointed out, justified. "Who found you that night you were attacked? Who took care of you until you decided to run off and be alone? Who took you to the doctor when you were sick and found out that you were pregnant? Who was the one who took you every single doctor's appointment and he's a bonus question, who was there with you when she was born? Think carefully. It might actually be the only test you pass!" Iruka firmly.

Everyone was silent in the room after that outburst. Iruka felt good, though. "I'm as much a parent to that beautiful child than you, and I would say even more so," Iruka said. "That little girl sees me as her papa because you had to go training and I hope it was all worth it!"

Naruto grit his teeth and felt his angry boiling, but it was undeniable. Iruka had been there, for everything. Naruto had missed out on so much! He wanted his baby! Every day he wanted his child with him.

And there were days when he didn't.

"You all told me to go get training! Every single one of you." Naruto said to all of the adults in the room. He shook his head. "I should have brought her with me. I regret listening to all of you!"

"Naruto, calm down," The Hokage spoke and tried to gain control of the room. Tsunade turned to Iruka, "did you lie to Naruto about the document he was signing, yes or no?"

Iruka turned to Tsunade and said, "I did. I lied. It was either I adopted her or Danzo would."

That certainly changed the situation. Tsunade asked firmly, "Danzo? The elder? Why did he want custody of Ai?"

"Because of her Uchiha half!" Iruka said. Tsunade didn't know that. She turned to Naruto and then to Kakashi. "Ai's father is from the Uchiha clan?"

"We have DNA evidence that her father is an Uchiha, but we don't have an exact-" Kakashi began but Naruto cut him off.

"It was Itachi," Naruto said numbly. "He told me he did it years ago. When I first traveled with pervy sage, when we were looking for you," Naruto said. "He's Ai's biological father."

Tsunade's wrinkles started to show, not because of her jutsu was wearing off, but because of the situation that was now before her. The decision on her head. She had to think if her well-being and what was best for her. Was Naruto truly the one to watch over her? She knew Iruka and Kakashi as her parents and to destroy that would only hurt her. Though Iruka had done something very illegal.

She needed a long drink.

"Iruka, what you did was very illegal. Not only should Naruto have been informed about the contract he was signing, but he would have needed an adult to see that he knew of it. I don't know why I thought I could trust you to inform him." Tsunade said and turned to Naruto, "and you shouldn't have signed things so blindly. Read things before signing," Tsunade said. She pulled out the contract that was signed years ago when Ai was born and the one that would decide who should keep her custody. She had read it and saw that it was legally binding and that put her in a pickle.

If Naruto, Iruka, or Kakashi couldn't, the Hokage could take the child in.

"Until I can come up with proper punishments and a final decision, Ai will be under my care. I don't want any of you to have any contact with her. Kakashi. Pack some of the girl's belongings, she'll be staying in my home until further notice," Tsunade said, "and as for mission assignments, I expect you both act like professionals. Kakashi, you'll have to double back here to get your team's first mission," Tsunade said. "You're all dismissed."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

I don't own Naruto

**Naruto's Baby** **Chapter 15**

While Naruto was sent on the mission to save the Kazakage, Gaara, Iruka was in a meeting with the elders and Tsunade. He might as well be on trial. The meeting was to discuss the sole custody of Ai. Her last name wasn't going to be used until they officially decided who was going to care for the girl. Iruka hoped that he could be in the girl's life since he had been taking care of her.

"Umino Iruka," Tsunade said, starting the meeting. "I understand the circumstances behind your reasoning," she started off. "Naruto wouldn't have been able to care for Ai while he was on the road. He also wouldn't have been able to give the attention Ai needed," Tsunade said. "You did an excellent job being her guardian Iruka."

"That doesn't excuse not telling Naruto what he was signing," it was Danzo who spoke that. Iruka fought hard not to glare at the elder. It was this man who cornered him into the desperation.

"If Danzo had taken the boy in, the girl wouldn't even have been an issue because she wouldn't even have been born," Koharu stated. Tsunade has to dig up a decade's worth of paperwork to understand the entire situation, and that included why Naruto was living alone. Tsunade even found the proposal Danzo had written up so that he could take Naruto into his custody, into the Root foundation like some other orphans. Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, knew what Naruto's parent's wanted and tried to respect their wishes. Tsunade knew it was better for Naruto's happiness that he not be involved with Danzo. Not to mention with the Akatsuki roaming around, going around to kidnap the jinchuriki, it left to question if Naruto could take care of Ai and not put her in danger.

"I respect Sarutobi's decision to keep Naruto away from you," Tsunade said sternly. "This case is about the custody of a three-year-old girl, not her fifteen-year-old parent."

"A fifteen-year-old jinchuriki. He would have usually not been allowed outside of the village, and you have him going on missions," Homura stated to Tsunade. "If Naruto is to continue going on missions, we recommend giving him two shinobi at least to act as his guard. As for the child, who's to say that she hadn't inherent some of the Kyuubi's chakra?"

"Uchiha Itachi was a prodigy when he was seven years old and at a young age joined the ANBU Black Ops. Who's to say that this girl isn't as intelligent or cunning?" Koharu said. "Not to mention her sharingan will activate one day. If she so much as developed that kekkei genkai with that chakra, she would be one of the world's most powerful shinobi."

Iruka felt extreme irritated and awkward. They didn't know the girl. They didn't know how un-Uchiha like she actually was. She smiled! She was happy! She never even so much as hit another person without apologizing for it. Not to mention, she wasn't as smart as she could be. She wasn't an idiot, but Iruka had the sense that she would be…of average intelligence to put it nicely. "If I may speak," He stood up. "I've raised the child you're describing, and I can assure you that Ai is nothing more than a child who only wants to smile and be happy. She isn't some weapon no matter what her genetics say."

"Iruka, children eventually grow up," Homura stated. "You were once a child. Your students are children. Do they not grow up? Do they not learn and thrive under your teachings?" He questioned. "Eventually that so-called child will be a shinobi for this village and whether or not she'll turn on us depends on what we can and will do for her growing up."

"So why didn't you do that for Naruto?" Iruka asked boldly. "As upset as I am with him and how he's behaving, I still care about his well-being. I care if he lives or dies today or tomorrow. I see him as a part of my family. I know he had to grow up alone and he's resented many people in the village for it. That's why I want to make sure that his child, my child, that little girl who we care for gets the best options in the world. That's what any parent wants for their child. The best," Iruka said.

Tsunade nodded to him. That was what made any parent. They put their children's needs over their own, and Naruto wasn't doing that. However, that doesn't mean he never did. Tsunade had seen how much he cares for Ai. He practically adores her, just as Iruka loves her. This was a tough decision because it was two caring parents fighting for one lucky child.

But, there had to be consequences.

"I've made my decision," Tsunade said, "Iruka, your punishment is that you will have limited access to Ai when she joins the academy in two years, you may be her sensei. However, you're no longer permitted to resume custody of the child. Her name will be changed back to Uzumaki Ai, and Naruto will have his custody restored to him," Tsunade went on to say, "You may still see the girl if Naruto permits it, and if he is on a mission, I will watch over her. I'm sorry Iruka, but you are no longer Ai's parental guardian. Hatake Kakashi will be kept on as acting pseudo-guardian should I not be available as a custodian should Naruto permit that as well. I will draw up another contract for everyone to sign regarding the girl's overall care," Tsunade said, writing this all down. Iruka's heart shattered. He felt like he was losing his family all over again. He bit his tongue and took a deep breath. All he ever wanted was a family again. But now…he lost it all.

"Yes milady, I'll respect the orders," he said and turned to leave once he was dismissed. As soon as he was out of the room, he felt his chest tighten and tear leak from his eyes. It hurt so much. "My baby…is no longer mine."

Since Kakashi was the hospital and barely able to sit up, Tsunade ordered Shizune to take the girl's belongings to Naruto's apartment. She, along with a few other chunin, packed up the girl's room, feeling sorry for Iruka, who watched with devastation as Ai's room was being packed up and taken to Naruto's apartment.

When that was done, Ai was taken to Naruto's apartment. Shizune was tasked with this as well. The girl looked up at the woman and asked many questions. "Where are we going?"

"To your new home," Shizune answered.

"New home? What happened to my old home?" Ai asked. Shizune didn't know how to explain that. "That's no longer your home. You don't live there anymore."

"Well, will Papa or Daddy be there?" Ai asked as she was getting nervous now. She was not informed of this new change, and she didn't understand what was going on.

"You only had a papa, and he's not the same papa as before," Shizune answered. They were walking along the main street until they turned and walked to Naruto's door. Shizune knocked and ran into the chunins from before.

"We just unpacked a few things, but he's not home," one said.

"Okay, thank you for your assistance," Shizune said. Ai looked at the men, having seen them around the village before and they smiled at the girl, waved her off, and headed out to resume their other duties. Shizune walked in with Ai behind her. The girl looked around the strange dwellings and saw how clean it was so far. Shizune looked around and looked at the time, the clock being on the wall, "I have to get going," she said and turned to Ai, "this is your new home now. Your Papa isn't here at the moment, but I'm sure he'll be home soon. Just stay here and wait for him." She assured and left, closing the door behind her.

The three-year-old remained standing in the same spot for a few minutes before she began to walk around to take a look around her new home. Nothing looked familiar to her. She went to the kitchen first and saw no food in the fridge except for a carton of milk. She closed that up and ran to the bedroom, where a bed was, but not hers. In fact, her bed wouldn't be able to fit in here. Curious, she looked around and started to go through the draws and pulled out some clothes that were too big for her. She found an orange and blue jacket and saw how old and dirty it was. She sniffed it and found it surprising not a horrible smell. Actually, she found the smell to be strangely familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on the scent. She put it on like how _her_ papa taught her.

Ai looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was pulled in her usual ponytail, and the coat covered her completely. The sleeves were really long on her, so she started to wave her arms, flapping them for amusement. She ran around the room and got on the bed, jumping on it. She looked over to her side when she noticed the photo frames shaking from her jumping and one fell on the bed. She stopped by landing on her bottom, knowing she would be safe, and then crawled over to the frame and looked at the picture. "Daddy!" She said. It was Team Seven's picture, and she saw her daddy, Kakashi, in it. She blinked when she recognized Sakura, but the two other people in the photo were unrecognizable. She did see the jacket that Naruto was wearing and looked down at the one she had put on, and smiled. "It's the same coat!"

Ai climbed off the bed and put the picture on the bed, before running around to venture the small apartment more, but she easily finished it in five minutes. She went back to the room and dug through more drawers, and found a headband with a scratch on it. She smiled and tried to tie it on her forehead, looking back in the mirror. "Now I'm the kid in the photo!" She said, though the headband slipped off her forehead and now hung from her neck. She merely laughed, "now it's like Hina-chan's!"

The girl ran around the apartment with her arms back, making 'vroom' noises. She even left the apartment to find Zuko or some other kids to play ninja with.

Ai ran through the village as though she was a real shinobi, which was normal for children to copy their parents or heroes. Many people didn't seem to notice. It was the bright orange color that they saw, and that was why they were watching the girl. She went on the ninja run, and skid to a stop when she looked over and saw some people she recognized.

"Shika! Choji!" Ai yelled and went over to them. The two looked over to the girl; both had been fighting a stranger who suddenly attacked. "Well well, if it isn't Ai-chan," Shikamaru teased. "You're looking rather fetching with that jacket of yours," he said teasing her. Choji smiled and said, "you look just like Naruto with it on."

"Naruto?" Ai tilt her head to the side and closed her eyes in pondering. Ino came from behind and was yelling at Choji over something Ai smiled and went to the older girl. "Ino-nee-san!" She said and took the girl's hand. "Missed you!"

Ino smiled at the girl, "Hello their Ai-chan. I like your new jacket; orange is a good color on you," she said. "Did your papa give you that jacket?" Much like Sakura's attitude toward Ai's having shifted, Ino enjoyed the girl's presence around.

"No! I found it!" Ai said. "Along with this!" She said and showed her the headband. Her eyes widen, "That's..." She said and looked over. "Naruto! Hey, Naruto! It's been a while!" She shouted. Ai looked over and saw the man from a few days ago. The one who tried to grab her. Ai went over to Choji and hid behind his legs.

Naruto, who was on a roof and several yards away, jumped down and ran back to the group. "Hey, Ino!" He smiled and looked over to Choji and noticed Ai hiding, but he also saw the jacket that he used to wear.

How did she get a hold of it?

"Ai," Naruto knelt down and smiled. "Why are you hiding from me? I'm your papa."

"NOT MY PAPA!" Ai shouted. "Choji, this man grabbed me from my papa! He's a bad man," Ai said. Choji nervously laughed and shrugged. Ai always liked Choji. She was able to say his name without giving it a nickname, and he was always kind enough to share a chip or two with her when she was younger. Choji knelt down, "I'm sure he didn't mean to scare you," he said and pushed her forward a bit.

Ai looked up at the blonde man. He wasn't as tall as her papa or daddy, but he was tall. He was no longer kneeling, but he reached down and patted the girl's hair. "You look good in my old jacket; I'll say that," he smiled. Ai's face turned, and she went "eh?!"

That was when she realized that the kid in the photo was the man before her. She took it off and threw it to the ground. "NO!" She screamed childishly. She kept the headband, and when Naruto noticed it, he thought about Itachi, who he recently had a run-in with. Though Sasuke did come to his mind as well, it was Itachi's image that was fresh in his mind.

"Give me the headband Ai," he ordered her.

"NO!" She said and crossed her arms. Naruto felt his eye twitch. "Pretty please can I have my headband back?" He asked. "NO!" Ai said. Naruto reached over her and grabbed the headband from her, loosening the knot and grabbing it before she could actually stop him. "Hey! That's mine! I found it!"

"No, you took it! It was in my room, and you took it. Just like you took my jacket!" Naruto scolded. "And when I saw do something, you must do it," Naruto said. "I'm your papa, and you have to listen to me," he said firmly.

Ai blew raspberries at that. "NOT MY PAPA! NOT MY PAPA! NOT MY PAPA!"

"Ai! I am your papa, and you have to listen to me or else you're grounded," he said. Ai stuck her tongue at him and said, "I won't listen to you! You're just a meanie!" Ai began running off. Naruto quickly grabbed her before she ran too far. "You little brat! How dare you!" He said and Ai struggled against him. She even bit his hand, and Naruto let her go.

Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino watched as Naruto was being beaten by a three-year-old girl.

Ai smirked, triumphal of her small win and she crossed her arms. She started to run off and began heading to her home, not Naruto's apartment.

Iruka was emptying the remains of Ai's old bedroom when he looked at the window when he heard some tapping. Ai was on the tree branch. The girl was smiling, and Iruka ran over and opened the window. "Ai?!" She jumped in, and Iruka caught her easily, pulling her in through the window. "You know you're not supposed to climb trees yet," he said, and the girl smiled. "Sorry Papa but I'm always careful," Ai smiled.

Iruka frowned and put her down. He was about to scold her, but he didn't. He couldn't. Ai looked around and saw how empty her old room was. "Where's my stuff?" She asked and went to where her bed once was. "My bed?" She asked and then to the closet. "My clothes?"

The tan man turned to the girl and knelt down and began crying. Ai turned and saw the man crying. "Papa!" She went over, and Iruka wrapped his arms around the girl. "Papa, why are you crying?"

"Because…I'm not your papa anymore," he said.

Ai laughed, "don't be a silly papa. You're always my papa."

Iruka released the hug, but his hands were on the girl's shoulders. Ai looked at the man and the tears he was shedding. Ai knew something was wrong and she never saw her papa cry before. That must mean something was wrong. "Pa-"

"Don't!" He stopped her. "I'm not….I'm not Papa anymore. I'm Iruka," he said. "Call me Iruka," he said as he tried to hold back the bitterness. Ai didn't understand. Not one bit. "But…you're my papa."

"I'M NOT!" Iruka screamed. This was the most painful thing he had to do. "I'm not your papa Ai. Not anymore. I'm not your papa."

Ai mind twisted as she felt the rejection. She only knew a few certainties in her small world, and Iruka being her papa was the foundation of it. "But, I am your baby…and you're my papa." She said firmly, but she could feel the heartbreak.

"Ai," Iruka stood up. "Get out."

Ai blinked. "Wh-what?" She asked innocently.

"I said get out!" He yelled at her. Ai stumbled back, walking backward. Iruka led the girl out, and when she was looking at Iruka with teary eyes, he grabbed her by the arm and took her to the front door. "Leave!" He shoved her out and slammed the door on her face. Ai began to try to open the door and pounded on the door. "PAPA PLEASE! I'M SORRY! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG! PLEASE PAPA!" Ai began to cry out and wanted in. All she wanted was her papa! Iruka locked the door and leaned against the door. Hearing the girl's cries broke his heart even more. A tear streamed down his face as well. "Go to Naruto…he's your papa now." He said.

The child's cries and pleas continued, but they fell on deaf ears. Iruka had to tone her out. He had to cut the cord he created between the two. Ai wouldn't understand. How could she? Then again, how could a man who claimed to love the child so much that he threw her out the only home she remembered?

Ai's cried continued until Iruka had to leave. He snuck out the window as the child's cries continued. He made sure not to be caught by her, and he went to the academy to distract himself.

Naruto went by Iruka's apartment to talk to him, but when he saw Ai asleep in front of the door, he knelt down, seeing her tear-stained face. He picked the girl up and noted how heavy she was compared to when she was a baby. He held her close, the first hug he'd gotten from her since his return home. "Guess he's not home," Naruto mumbled to himself and carried the girl out.

Ai subconsciously clung to Naruto, her nose stuffy from crying heavily. "Papa," she mumbled in her sleep and Naruto's heart soared, "that's right baby, I'm your papa," he murmured and kissed her forehead. Tears started to fall from her eyes once more. Her hands were bruised from how hard she was pounding on the door, calling out for Iruka, her papa.

Iruka had been watching from a distant. "Naruto…be a better parent than I was to that girl. She only deserves the best," Iruka said and whipped his last tear he would shed on this subject.

Naruto had his baby girl back.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

I don't own Naruto

**Naruto's Baby** **Chapter 16**

Ai slowly woke up when a strange smell came to her senses. She opened her eyes, her sniffs could be heard lightly as she was coming to consciousness. The three-year-old didn't know the smell, but she didn't like it.

Then a rather loud beeping echoed in the area, making the girl sit up abruptly. She gasped and noises that sounded like pots and pans crashing into one another. She didn't take the time to realize where she was, but she seemed to know where the door was. She got out of the bed slowly, crawling out and easing herself down from the elevated furniture and walked to the door, opening.

"Morning," she yawned, her hair that was usually in a ponytail was puffed out like a lion's mane, spiky with a nappy nature. She saw the blonde man opening the window and letting out the smoke. He seemed to be the cause of the noise, and all he could do was laugh. "Good morning baby!" He said in glee despite the fact that he had burnt breakfast. "I hope you slept well!" Naruto said gleefully. He threw the burnt food and pain outside the window and tried to air out the apartment.

The girl yawned once more, rubbing an eye sleepily. She looked around, seeing that she was in the apartment that Shizune had brought her to yesterday, but she had left. Her eyes scanned the area and then they fell back on Naruto. "What were you doing?" She asked.

"I was making breakfast," Naruto answered her, still grinning.

She eyed the man and tilted her head, "that's not how Papa makes breakfast."

Naruto's eye twitched when she said that, but he kept up his good nature, especially since this was a huge change for the girl. He had to learn patience, along with his child.

The girl walked over to the western-style table and pulled out the chair, and sat down. Naruto watched her actions, making him smile a bit more. He went down and sat next to her at the table. Ai eyed him a bit, and then asked, "what is for breakfast?"

"Oh…well I was trying to make some omelets and rice, but I left the eggs on the stove for long, and they burnt really quickly," Naruto laughed. Ai looked over to the kitchen and saw a pot was on the stove and knew it was on because she could see the steaming coming out it. What the child had missed was seeing the cookbook that Naruto had opened as he was going to try to learn to cook more things for his child. He had been putting it off when he was on the road with Jiraiya, and now he regretted not picking up some cooking lessons, though Jiraiya couldn't cook either.

Naruto looked over as well and said, "I haven't really had time to go to the store, but I had some ramen, so I'm making some for the two of us," Naruto said. Ai looked at him with wide eyes, "but ramen isn't a breakfast food."

Naruto laughed and put his hand on her shoulder, "ramen is good any time of the day. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." Naruto stood up and went to check on the ramen, and when it was finished, he put some in a smaller bowl and the rest in the larger bowl. He came back over and put the bowl down, giving the smaller one to Ai, and the larger one was for himself. "Itadakimasu," Naruto chimed and began eating. Ai merely stared at the bowl and looked back at Naruto while he ate. He stopped eating when he noticed the girl not eating. "What's wrong?"

It looked like a lot was going through her head, but she down at the bowl and said, "chopsticks."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and realized what she meant. "Oh right!" He got up and went to get her the chopsticks used for children so that they could learn how to them. Naruto gave her a colorful pair that he had actually got her when he was traveling with Jiraiya for her to use. "Here you go," Naruto said. Ai reached out and took the utensil, and clapped her hands together, "itadakimasu," she cooed and began eating.

Naruto was getting dressed and looked over when Ai was trying to brush her hair. She took one attempt, and when it hurt, she stopped and decided not to bother with it. Naruto sat on the bed and said, "Ai, come here, I'll brush your hair," he said. Ai was shaking her head, and Naruto said, "come on Ai, it needs to be brushed." Ai went over, and Naruto reached over and grabbed the hair brush. He didn't really think about how difficult it was to brush hair.

Ai said down in front of him, and Naruto started at the top of her head and tried to brush down. He noticed how tangled the hair actually was. Ai began to cry out when he began to yank the brush down. "Where do you get this hair from?!" Naruto yelled as he had to wrestle with the now struggling girl with her hair. Ai began kicking out and scream in pain.

When Naruto got the brush out of her hair, he looked and was amazed at how much came out in a knot. He was terrified, not because he could have given his daughter a bald spot, but the fact that he didn't. Her hair was so thick that it was like brush through a web of knots. Ai began to crawl away on the bed, but Naruto had to hold her down once more, "come on Ai! It's no big deal!" He said and began to do this repeatedly until the child's hair was contained with an elastic band and her bangs were brushed out.

Naruto panted at that. "You're stronger then you look Ai," he said as the girl looked was laying down with her hair in the elastic band for about five seconds until it snapped and her hair brushed out. Naruto groaned and said, "you can leave your hair down today."

Ai slipped on her blue sandals along with Naruto. She was finally dressed, wearing a red dress with a white short-sleeve shirt under it. Naruto stood up when his shoes were put on, he bent down and picked up Ai, which she wasn't okay with.

"I'm a big girl!" She pouted.

Naruto laughed and put her down, "okay Ai but stay close to me," he said and took her hand as they headed out. "Where are we going?"

"Well I have to go meet with my teammates today, and I'm going to drop you off at the daycare," he said.

"Who are your teammates?" Ai asked.

"One of them is Sakura, but I'll be meeting the other two members today," Naruto answered. Ai smiled, "Saku-nee-chan is part of your team?"

"Yep," Naruto answered. He was curious though and looked down at the girl, "you call her Saku-nee-san, is that how you see her?"

Ai thought about why, but answered, "daddy and papa told me to since she sometimes watched over me," she chimed, "she watched Zuko and I a bunch of times. He calls her that as well."

"Zuko?" Naruto asked and remember, "Oh yeah, that's Granny Tsunade's son…I wonder what he looks like now…probably a mini-version of Granny Tsunade I'm willing to bet," Naruto said.

"He's my bestest friend," Ai said. "Along with Senji-kun!" Naruto smiled. His child had more friends than when he was that age. It made him feel good. His child wasn't going to be a social outcast. Ai let go of his hand and began skipping ahead of him. Naruto watched as his daughter smile and wave at some of the vendors. "Morning!" Ai waved at some older woman and hopped along.

They headed to the daycare and when Naruto signed the girl in, he told the woman that he would be picking up Ai from now on as her guardian. She eyed Naruto skeptically but marked his name down. Naruto also informed her that Iruka is not to come by and see Ai, talk to her, and especially not allowed to pick her up. Ai didn't miss that from Naruto since she was standing next to him by the time she was being signed in. Naruto knelt down and patted the girl's head, "bye baby, have fun at daycare today," he kissed her forehead and headed out. Ai watched him with a stoic expression and the daycare assistance, Naomi, came over, "come along Ai, we still have a few minutes until everyone else arrives, so let's get you settled in," she said.

Ai walked in and saw her playmates. Well, for the most part. Like many children, some kids didn't get along and other who did. Ai looked around, and when she saw some girl, she walked over. There were two girls. One girl had dark pink hair, and the other girl had brown hair. "Can I play with you?" Ai asked.

The two girls looked at Ai, having seen her around Zuko and Senji a lot, but there was another reason why they knew who Ai was. "Aren't you that girl who has the two dads?" The brunette asked.

Ai smiled and nodded, "Yep. I have a papa and daddy, and I had a new papa now," she said and thought about it, "well, he says he's my papa and I think I live with him now, so I have three papas!" Ai said and remembered how Iruka pushed her out of the house. Her smile didn't falter, though.

The two girls looked at Ai, and tilted their heads, "you don't have a mama at all?" The dark pink hair girl asked.

"Nope!" Ai smiled still.

"Did she die?" The brunette girl asked.

"I never had one," Ai said. Children didn't know that there were some things that were meant to keep to themselves. It's usually to avoid situations relating to bullying or blabbering about something that wasn't their business.

The two girls let Ai join I their fun, as they were playing with some dolls. "Here Ai, you can play daddy!" The girl said, handing her the toy. Ai didn't see the harm, or the difference, and began playing with the girls.

Zuko walked over when he arrived, Shizune dropping him off, and he noticed Ai playing with the girls for the first time. "What are you doing?"

Ai looked up to her friend, "Zuko! I'm playing house with Akiko and Sora, wanna join us?" She asked. Zuko looked annoyed, "why would I wanna play with some girly dolls?"

"Oh no! I have the boy toy! Dolls can be for boys as well!" Ai said as she showed him the male doll. Zuko shook his head, "I guess I should have known better. You are just a girl after all," he said and walked off. Ai tilted his head in confusion. "Zuko!" She ran over and stopped him. "Why did you say something so mean like that?"

"I don't like those girls Ai," Zuko said and turned to glare at them since he saw them looking at him. "They give me weird looks."

Ai hadn't noticed that before, and shrugged it off, "maybe they just wanna play with you, and you scare them."

"I'M NOT SCARY!" Zuko yelled and crossed his arms. Ai knew him better than anyone else other than Shizune and his mother. Ai looked at the boy and laughed. She could never be scared of Zuko, but that didn't mean other students couldn't be. Ai took his hand, "Okay, let's go play together then," she said and waved the girls good-bye while they went to a different area of the room and began playing with a ball.

It wasn't until a boy came over. Ai looked up and said, "Hiya, what's your name?"

"IT'S ME YOU IDIOT!" Senji yelled at the girl.

Ai blinked and looked at the boy. His hair was so short, no length to it but he wasn't bald. "This was all that my dad could save of my hair," he said and sat down. "My dad was so mad at me that I'm grounded from doing anything fun at my house."

Ai's smile faltered, and she lowered her head meekly, "Sorry," she said in sympathy.

Senji smirked, though, "it's fine. It might not be long anymore, but at least it's not like yours Ai-chan," he said and sat down, "I've never seen your hair down before." He said and turned to Zuko, "have you?"

"Once or twice, but it is strange," Zuko commented and pushed the ball toward the Hyuuga child. Senji caught the ball and rolled it over to Ai. "I haven't seen you in a while. What have you been doing?" He asked Ai. She caught the ball and answered, "well, I moved into a new place with a new papa. I don't like him very much," she said and pushed the ball to Zuko. "Really? How come?"

"He doesn't know how to cook," Ai comment. "And he did grab me from my papa's arms a few days ago," Ai thought back, though it was a little longer than what she remembered. "He made ramen for breakfast."

"Ramen? That sounds cool." Senji said. "It was gross, he didn't make it right," Ai replied. "It was pork flavor. I like chicken."

Suddenly the group of kids was called together. They all got up and stood in their assigned rows. The workers at the daycare often had lessons for children, and one of the lessons was the hand signs games. They had to learn hand signs for their next ninja lessons, and this was the most efficient way to learn them to the hand signs.

"Okay students! We're going to go over our hand signs! Everyone get ready," the assistant said.

Sakura and Naruto were walking along after the meeting with the new team Kakashi. Naruto was highly annoyed because Sai was just a jerk to put it nicely. That wasn't the only reason, though. "I heard you got custody of Ai again," Sakura said.

Naruto smiled, "yeah. I did."

"How's she adjusting?" Sakura asked. Naruto's smiled faded, and he looked down, "she keeps saying I'm not her papa. I never thought I would ever hear those words from my own child."

"Then again, she thought Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei were her parents. That's all she really knows," Sakura commented. Naruto glared a bit, "Yeah and I'm mad they tricked me…I know it was just Iruka who lied and Kakashi had no reason why not to trust him, but Ai thinks they are her parents and that's not fair to me. I wanted to take her with me. I never wanted to be apart from my child."

"You know, I never asked because this wasn't my place, but who's Ai's father?" Sakura asked. "I mean, do you know?"

Naruto didn't look at Sakura after that question. With the recent run-in with Itachi because of the Akatsuki, it would have been obvious. That genjutsu used on him, when his stomach swelled, despite it being a genjutsu, brought back some memories he didn't want to think about. "It's Uchiha Itachi," Naruto admitted.

Sakura's eyes widen, and she jumped in front of Naruto, stopping him, "wait a minute! You're telling me that Ai is an Uchiha?! Sasuke's niece?!" She said. Naruto looked at her with an annoyed face, "shout it to the freaking world why don't you Sakura?"

"Ai is an Uchiha! You know she'll have the sharingan, right!?"

Naruto rolled his eyes and clapped his hands together, "YES! I KNOW!" Naruto screamed practically. "I know what this will mean. This means that my child will have the same kekkei genkai that Sasuke has and that Kakashi-sensei possesses. I am aware of this! Now you need to not say this to anyone because that will endanger my child's life, so shut up," Naruto said as they were nearing the daycare.

Sakura didn't take kindly to Naruto telling her to shut up, and she punched him in the face, "how dare you tell me to shut up you loud-mouthed-knuckle-head!"

Students were outside and saw the girl hit the boy, and among them was Ai. She had never seen Sakura punch anyone before and the strength she had was so cool. She wanted that for herself! What Sakura didn't know that she did was implant a tiny seed within Ai's consciousness.

Naruto picked Ai up from daycare once he was able to recover from his hit and took Ai to Ichiraku Ramen. Ai grimaced, "I want food."

"I'm taking you to Ichiraku, we are going to get food," Naruto said as he held her hand, leading her. "But we already had ramen!" Ai whined. Naruto knelt down and said, "Remember what I said earlier about ramen is good any time of the day?" The child nodded. "It's also good all day, every day."

Ai never ate ramen a lot. Iruka knew that it wasn't healthy and Ai wasn't really a big fan of it. She liked her favorite flavor, but she wanted something else. "I want chicken!"

"There is chicken flavored ramen!" Naruto said as he now dragged the girl to the restaurant. Ai was skidding her heels and protesting. "NO!"

Naruto's frustrations were building up before they even reached the restaurant. He turned sharply when Ai kept screaming. "You want chicken?! Here," he said and gave her his froggy pouch. "You're a big girl now right? Go buy some chicken. There's a barbecue place down that way, I'll see you in a while," he said, shooing the girl off.

Ai held the pouch in her hands and looked up with teary eyes from her previous crying. Naruto walked in Ichiraku, and Ai stood there for a few minutes before she began walking off. She knew Konoha fairly well, but being by herself was scary. She walked to the barbecue restaurant that she knew served chicken and a lot of meats that she ate. She remembered coming in with Iruka and Kakashi, and many other people she knew.

She walked up to the lady behind the stand and asked, "can I eat here? I have money," she lifted the pouch. Unlike Naruto's upbringing, where people knew who he was and made him avoid many places, Ai was an innocent child and she went around and knelt to the girl. "Where are your parents?"

Ai thought about the recent events in her life and began crying. The worker took Ai to the counter and sat her down, "stay here, I'll get you some food. What do you want?" She asked the girl. Ai sniffled, looking at the nice lady, "my papa."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you Hokage-sama, but when I tried getting a hold of the other people, they wouldn't answer," the worker said. Tsunade walked in and saw the girl, eating some chicken slowly. Tsunade looked to the server, "there wasn't anyone else with her?"

"No milady. She was just by herself."

Tsunade walked closer and sat down next to the girl. Ai smiled and hugged the woman, and Tsunade picked her up. Tsunade had Ai on her hip and said, "thank you for watching over her," Tsunade said and walked her back to Naruto's apartment.

She had few choice words for the blonde male.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

I don't own Naruto

**Naruto's Baby** **Chapter 17**

Ai had fallen asleep as Tsunade carried her to Naruto's apartment. She must admit that the child had grown a soft spot in her heart much like how Naruto did to prove himself years ago. It was funny to see her apart from her own son, Zuko, like this. The two were growing up together that they might as well be siblings.

Tsunade reached Naruto's apartment not too long after the girl fell asleep, and Tsunade knocked on the door while the girl's head rested on her shoulder.

"I'm coming," Naruto's voice could be heard behind the door, and when he opened the door, Tsunade could see his red eyes and dried tears. Tsunade gave him a stern, yet loving expression, "we need to talk."

She walked in without his permission. She removed her heeled sandals and walked inside, looking for Naruto's bedroom, and she opened the door, seeing that he was packing a bag. For the mission. That remembered that he'd be going on the mission to meet with the Akatsuki spy, which was just one more step closer to reach Sasuke.

Naruto came from behind and shoved things in his bag, and Tsunade noticed that he shoved Sasuke's old headband in there as well. "Here, you can lay her down now," Naruto said as he pulled the comforter back. Tsunade moved and laid the girl down, her arms above her head, and Naruto gave a small smile. When Ai was a newborn baby, she always did that when she was lifted up and when she was sleeping.

Naruto tucked her in and leaned down and kissed her forehead, like how he used to do when she was a baby, not that she would remember. The two walked out and went to the dining area, sitting down at the table. Naruto sat down across the table and Tsunade sighed, "you know I was the one who got your child back from Iruka's care because I thought it was for the best. Don't make me regret that decision Naruto," Tsunade started off. Naruto lowered his head a bit. "I appreciate that Granny."

"Then why was she left alone to wander into restaurants alone?" Tsunade asked. Naruto looked uneasy. There were many things he could say as an excuse or even as a defense. Konoha was safe. He did it because he had no supervision as a child. He at least gave her money. However, Naruto admitted, "because she doesn't see me as her parent. She sees me as a stranger, and I hate it." Naruto continued, "you know, it's messed it that my own child doesn't see me as her papa. I'm the one who brought her into this world. I raised her for as long as I could."

"Naruto, I'm going to be honest with you," Tsunade started off, "I was tempted to leave Ai in Iruka's care." Naruto snapped his head up and demanded, "Why?"

"Because he only thought of her well-being like any good parent would," Tsunade said firmly. "Despite the fact that Ai sees you like some stranger, did Iruka do a bad job raising her? She's well-fed, clothed, and happy."

"And that's why I hate him even more," Naruto admitted, and his elbows slammed on the table, and his head fell in his hands. He began to cry once more. "He was such a good parent, and I felt horrible for taking her away from that, but I want to have my child back. I want a family as well, and she's my only family."

Tsunade knew it must have been hard for Naruto, growing up alone. After all, he had no one for a long time. One of the most difficult things since becoming a mother was ignoring a child's cries, and Naruto was someone she never wanted to see cry. He reminded her of her little brother and her old lover after all, but Naruto also helped represent something she had lost many years ago; hope.

"I know you have a mission to prepare for, so until you return, I will be Ai's guardian," she said, and from the folds of her jacket sleeve, she had several things for Naruto in a packet. Naruto wiped his tears and opened the package. "What is this?"

"Iruka made this for you," Tsunade said, "it's a list of all of Ai's favorite foods, medicines to take her of her with including vitamins, and a list of her favorite activities and colors and then some." Naruto looked over the lists of things and read through most of it. Tears continued to fall as he saw how meticulous Iruka had been. He even had a journal. Naruto opened it and read the first passage, _"Naruto gave birth to a girl today. He named her Uzumaki Ai because he wanted her to be surrounded by nothing but love,"_ it read. It had the date, and it was just passages of things that had occurred since. Naruto read the next passage, _"Naruto tried to run away from the hospital with Ai, but Kakashi and I knew where to look thankfully. I was worried to death over both of them."_ Naruto continued to read on, "_Naruto came down with a fever after he ran away. He's been going in and out of consciousness. At the moment, Ai is doing okay."_ Naruto flipped through a few pages and found a passage about Ai's walking. _"Today, Kakashi and I helped Ai learn how to walk. She's a little behind her development, but we're trying to catch her up. Today, she walked three whole steps before she fell." _He saw that that passage was a few months after he had left. He flipped through a few passages when he saw one that just reminded him why he was so mad. _"Ai will be living with me from now on. Kakashi will have rights to see her when he can. After Naruto had left, she called me Papa for the first time, and I was so happy."_

Naruto slammed the book closed and crossed his arms. Tsunade could sense his anger; one would have to be blind not to see his frustration. She sighed, "well, I would suggest getting Ai on her regular schedule. You have the list of things she likes and how her day usually plays out. I'll have Shizune come by tomorrow and pick Ai up, so she'll take her to daycare," Tsunade said and stood up. Walking over, she placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, "she's not completely lost to you Naruto. Just remember that and remember how much you love that child."

Tsunade soon was out of the apartment. She was beginning to reconsider her decision to leave Ai in Naruto's care, especially when he had so much going on besides raising her. She walked out with a troubled mind.

Naruto went to bed, crashing next to the girl and hugged her close. He remembered when he did that when she was a baby and how she snuggled up to his warmth naturally. He looked down at the sleeping child and brushed some bangs out of her face, and he smiled. "You're just the cutest girl ever, yes you are," he whispered and kissed her forehead. "Papa will always love his baby girl, even if she doesn't understand it yet."

The girl continued to sleep as she was unaware of the turmoil that was currently Naruto. Not only would he have to go on a mission for a while, but he wanted nothing more than to bring Sasuke back to the village and have everything go back to normal, before the chunin exams.

Naruto rested his chin lightly on top of her head and began crying softly. "You're all I have now baby," he whispered, and he felt his heart ached. He felt so alone at the moment. No one really seemed to be on his side aside from Granny Tsunade, and he knew she was only looking out for Ai's best interest.

And that was all that mattered now…wasn't it?

Neji had just been doing some light training with Senji before it had gotten too dark. Neji grew concern for his son when he noticed some strange abnormalities in him. He had just received some complaints from his teacher and how Senji wasn't meeting to certain milestones for children and how easily distracted Senji was getting during class. Even now, during their small amount of training, Neji's keen eye saw how Senji's attention was drawn away.

He had knocked his son down lightly, barely a tap, and the four-year-old sat down. "Senji!" Neji's firm voice roared to the child, "pay attention. You've been looking away. You cannot do that in a fight. All of your attention needs to be on your opponent during a close-range fight. You must understand this before you can advance to your byakugan training," Neji had crossed his arms and looked down at his son.

Senji looked at his dad with teary eyes but nodded, "I'm trying to pay attention, I really am," Senji said.

"No you're-" He was cut off by Hiashi, "Neji, I need to speak with you," he said firmly. Neji nodded and turned to Senji, who coward before the elder Hyuuga. To Senji, the man was nothing but a strict man with a scary exterior. "Go find Hinata-sama Senji; she'll help you with your other homework," Neji ordered, and the boy got up. He started walking out and looked at the Hyuuga head, and one look at the elder made him start running in fear.

Hiashi actually like the boy. If something should happen to his daughters, then there was a possible chance that Senji would be the heir to the Hyuuga clan despite Neji's standing as a branch member. Unless the talk he was about to have changed that for the boy. "We need to speak in my chambers," he said and led the younger male to his office.

Once they had arrived, Neji noticed his grandfather was already in the office. Neji stiffened with the man around. Neji still partly blamed the elder for his father's death, even knowing the truth. Hiashi sat down at his desk, and Neji stood in front of the two. "Neji," Hiashi began, speaking a bit uneasily. This was a serious manner, "how to have Senji's studies?"

Neji knew that this must involve his son somehow. After all, why even bring him up? To make light conversation? No, that wasn't Hiashi's style, and Neji knew that. Still, he answered honestly, "despite some shortcomings; he appears to be doing just fine," he replied. It was acceptable as much as he knew.

The elderly man looked at his grandson and sighed, "we need to discuss on Senji's status as a Hyuuga member."

Neji's eyes narrowed, "I thought we already did when he was born."

"We did. However, some things have changed," the elderly man continued. Hiashi looked at his father, the retired head of the house, and spoke, "Father I have this," he said. He looked at his nephew and said, "Iroha has been released from prison." Neji's eyes widen, and his heart stopped for a moment. Fury soon replaced the expression, and he demanded, "why?! Why has he been released?!"

"Calm down Neji," his grandfather instructed with empathy in his voice.

"He's done his time and has been punished thoroughly and has been on good behavior," Hiashi stated. "He also knows to stay away from you."

"But what about Senji? What about my son?!" Neji spoke angrily.

"He will not have any custodial rights for Senji nor will he be allowed near the boy," Hiashi assured his nephew. "Which is why the matter of his status is being questioned," Hiashi mentioned. "If Senji were to remain a Main House family member, he might have unintentional contact with him. We have not told Iroha about Senji, but who's to say that he won't find out from the members. While we do have a strict silence on this matter, who's to say there isn't a slip in the cracks, or that Iroha won't noticed you and Senji together?" He said.

Neji knew exactly what Hiashi was about to say, "you want me to put the seal on my child's forehead. Make him a branch member," he said. Even saying that made Neji taste bitterness. Neji's fists tighten noticeably.

"It's an option Neji," Hiashi said. "Senji is in the more particular places for someone of our clan. While he was born to your line, he was also born from a Main House family member and if something were to happen to my girls, whether they give up their titles or to die, then Senji would be the next heir apparent," Hiashi said.

"We hope it won't come down to that," his grandfather stepped in. "It would most unacceptable is our clan was to be led by an inbred bastard."

"Father!" Hiashi shouted. Neji winced visibly because it was true. Inbred. He could still remember that horrid night…he was barely a genin when it happened! Neji looked at his uncle and grandfather, "my son will not have the seal! I'll make sure of that. I don't care if he ever runs this clan as head or not, but he will not be someone for you to hurt openly," Neji was firm on that matter.

"I thought you should know what to expect Neji," Hiashi said. "You are dismissed."

Neji turned and left the office, slamming the door behind him.

The elder turned to his son, "we should have made him get that abortion years ago. We could have easily hidden this matter up."

Hiashi stood up, and being taller than his father, looked down at him, "it would have killed Neji with their chakras being tied tightly together in a pregnancy like his. Don't you remember how horrible it was for Hizashi when he was carrying Neji?" Yes, Neji was Hizashi's son in the same way that Neji was Senji's father. Neji was born by Hizashi, and this issue had been kept secret from Neji until he started showing symptoms of pregnancy just as Hizashi seventeen years ago. "And I never want you to hear you say such a thing around the boy."

"I'm your father," the old man spoke, "you never order me around." Hiashi was thankful that his father had decided to leave when he did because Hiashi was stressed out. He sighed heavily, knowing that it would only be sensible that Senji would be the heir. His daughters would more than likely marry outside of the clan, and when that happened, they would have to give up their positions as heiresses. He had taken Neji in as a student, and he was his brother's only child so he would honor his late brother, his sacrifice would not go unpaid for. It was too late for Neji, but Senji had a chance to live the life Neji should have.

Free.

That next morning came too soon for Neji's liking. He had a mission he had to go on, but he had to drop Senji off at the Hokage's office. He and Senji were close friends, and Tsunade-sama wanted her son to have as much interaction with his friends as much as possible. It also benefitted Neji because he wouldn't have to make two stops for daycare that day.

Since it was rather early, Neji didn't bother to wake up his son. He did dress him while he slept, so he was wearing the more traditional robes of the Hyuuga clan, even with their symbol on the back. He put a hand on his son's sleeping forehead and promised that his child would never be marked by the same seal as his own forehead.

He picked the boy up and carried him out of his house, the boy's head sleeping on Neji's left shoulder. He decided to walk to the office that morning, after all, it seemed rare that he could spend some time with his son outside of training.

As he walked, Neji looked over and saw Naruto, doing a balancing act of his own. He had a bookbag on his back and a sleeping child on his left hip, much like how Neji was carrying Senji. Naruto seemed to have gotten the hang of balancing a child and other things in his arm. Naruto looked just as exhausted as he felt. When the blonde genin walked out, he saw Neji. The two seemed to have shared a nod of understanding. Both were in similar situations, both with children as a result, and they weren't even considered adults yet.

Neji walked closer to Naruto, and the two ended up walking side by side to each other on their way to Tsunade's office.

Both children none the wiser.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

I don't own Naruto

**Naruto's Baby** **Chapter 18**

Onyx color orbs opened softly. The girl who possessed these eyes was finally awake after her usual eight hours of slumber. She looked around her surrounds, seeing how the only natural light source was the sun outside her room. She sat up, yawned and got herself out of bed. Her bedroom had changed considerably since her apartment was destroyed many years ago from one of the attacks against Konoha, something she had no memory of. She painted her walls a teal color that matched her white furniture. She looked over to her outfit that she had picked out that day the night before. It was her favorite yellow sweatshirt-dress that she wore pink leggings with.

Uzumaki Ai was seven years old now.

She went to the bathroom and stared at herself in the mirror for a moment before doing her daily routine. Her hair had darkened since she was a toddler, now a soft brown color. It was about down to her waist regarding length, but she had short bangs that went to her eyebrows to help frame her face. She grabbed her hairbrush and grabbed some of her hair that had only thicken even more since she had grown up. She began brushing, knowing to start from the bottom and working her way up to work out the knots better, a trick her aunt-Ino had taught her since she had long hair to work with. Ai also brushed her teeth, and splashed her face with the cold water from the sink, smacking her cheeks to not only wake herself up but to assure herself that today would be a good day if she kept her attitude upbeat.

Ai left the bathroom and went to the kitchen, passing by some photos that were hung on the wall by her dad, Naruto. Showing memories of the two of them together for major events in her life since her fourth birthday. There were four photos on the wall. One was of Naruto and Ai, smiling to the camera on her fourth birthday months after Naruto had returned to the village, one in their new home together, the apartment Ai was living in now, one in which Ai, Kakashi, Naruto, and Iruka-sensei were in it together, and the last photo of Naruto's team back when he was a genin.

The girl went to the kitchen and was disappointed once more to see it empty, and yet, she expected for Naruto not to be in there anymore. She went to the fridge and opened in, leaning down and pulled out some leftover chicken and rice from last night's dinner. She heated it up in the microwave, and after the two minutes of waiting, she sat down and began eating.

Ai looked at her wall, particularly at the clock that hung on the wall and sighed. It read 9:03 in the morning. She got up, rewrapping what little food was left on her plate and put it back in the fridge. She walked back to her room and grabbed her book bag, filled with her notebooks, some textbooks, and some of her ninja supplies. She also grabbed her spare key from the counter, locked the door after slipping her blue sandals on, and headed to the academy.

Ai made it to the academy within fifteen minutes, as she was in no hurry even to go. She was already late; it wasn't like her being there any sooner would make her punishment be any less. She walked through the halls of the academy, and when she reached her classroom, she paused for a moment, and took a deep breath, having to mentally prepare herself for whatever yelling was going to take place on her.

She walked in, and all of the students looked over at the sudden noise at the front of the class. The female sensei looked over, seeing Ai walk in. No comment was made, and that surprised a bit, as expressed by her eyes widening a bit. Ai turned and headed to her seat in the front of the class. She put her book bag down and pulled her notes, and just started taking them, like most of the other students in her class. Despite her tardiness to class, Ai was doing fairly well. She wasn't the brightest student, easily average in all of her subjects, but she was not flunking any of her subjects.

The bell for break rung only an hour later, since her arrival, and all of the students sighed in relief as they all enjoyed their lunch break. The sensei looked directly at Ai and asked if she could come with her. When she heard that, Ai merely got up, grabbing her belongings and followed the sensei out.

The woman had pale skin and black hair that was pulled into a thick bun and lipstick on. Ai knew she was a new instructor, as she had introduced herself as that earlier in the school year. Ai only knew her as Sadoru-Sensei. She was a nice lady, but she did yell at Ai whenever she was late. So Ai was curious as to why she wasn't being yelled at today.

Ai was taken around the corner, away from the classroom, and Sadoru placed her hand on her lips. "Enough is enough Ai," she started off. "You've been tardy for three weeks straight, and some days you don't even bother showing up to class," she scolded firmly, but it wasn't the yelling Ai had grown accustomed to. Ai lowered her head a bit, remaining quiet. The teacher looked uneasy, as being strict wasn't as easy as the other teachers made it look. "Ai, why have you been showing up late all of the time?" She asked, trying a new approach.

The girl looked at the sensei and then back down, at her feet, watching as her toes curled a bit with uneasiness. "I don't have an alarm clock," Ai replied softly.

The teacher looked bewildered and didn't really believe that it was the sole reason why she was so late. "What about that parent of yours? Isn't Naruto-san making sure you're waking up?" She asked. Ai looked even more uneasy, as she clutched to her bookbag handles that rested on her shoulders, "um…I go back to sleep whenever he wakes me up," she lied, and it was painfully obvious that she was.

Sadoru looked uneasy and sighed, "please stay after class today Ai, and I'll make sure you get caught up in your notes and assignments," she said. Ai nodded and smiled a bit, "Thank you Sadoru-sensei," she said.

"Go have lunch with your peers, the class will start back in an hour," she said, and Ai nodded and rushed back in the room.

When Ai reached the room, she went over to a boy with hair so light blonde that it looked could be mistaken as white in a certain light. His eyes were brown, like his mother's, and he had red marks at the edge of his eye corners. The guy sitting next to him was an unmistakable Hyuga boy with long hair, pulled in a little ponytail, his forehead showing his widow's peak. "Hey, Zuko! Senji!" Ai said in greeting.

Senji huffed and looked at the girl, "so Ai, how much trouble did you get in this time?" He asked. The boy had been developing a snide-personality with a know-it-all attitude.

"None, thanks for asking," Ai replied with low growl of annoyance in her voice. She hated how Senji was acting, especially since this was a new behavior for him. What on earth had gotten with him anyways? Zuko looked over at the girl who he saw as his younger sister and asked, "so Ai, are you excited about the wedding?"

Ai looked at Zuko with a frown, then away, "why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you look like someone just kicked a puppy in front of you," Senji asked and looked at Ai, "you still upset that Hinata-sama chooses Mirai over you for the Flower Girl role of the wedding?"

Redness came to Ai's cheeks and said, "no, it's nothing like that. It's just as she said; I'm too old to be the flower girl." Ai was more mortified than anything and was biting the sides of her tongue to remain quiet about how upset she was getting.

Zuko could tell that Ai was getting mad, and decided to change the subject, "so mom's back in town for the wedding. You know she'll wanna see you again Ai," he said with a soft smile. Ai stepped back, "Yeah," she said and felt a little uneasy still.

Some girls looked over, "you're talking about the wedding for Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuga right?!" The girl with pink hair asked as she was sitting behind Zuko and Senji. The girl next to her had light brown hair as well and cooed as well. "That will be an amazing wedding. Everyone is going to be there to celebrate their marriage!"

"Hinata will be so beautiful in her gown!"

"And Naruto-san is the best choice. He's the Hero of Konoha after all! No one is better!" The two girls began to daydream, and Ai was even more uncomfortable. She knew people adored her dad since he saved Konoha many years ago, but now that she understood that it was mostly females doing it, she felt disgusted.

That was her dad after all.

In fact, the attention he had been getting since she could remember had been getting worse since this marriage thing started. Before anymore was said, Ai went to sit back down in her assigned seat at the front of the class. The teacher walked back in and called class to order and resumed her lesson.

Ai stayed after school like she was told to do and began copying the teacher's lessons from early in the morning. She remained quiet, diligent, unlike Naruto. Sadoru frowned a bit as she wanted the child to write. She could see how hard the girl was trying to keep up with the other students, but something seemed to be weighing on her mind. "Ai," she knelt down in front of the girl. "If something is bothering you, anything at all, you can come to me," she said. Ai looked at the caring woman's face and then slowly closed her notebook, "I've finished copying the notes," she said and had the book back. Sadoru was hoping to get some more out of her, but she didn't want to force her. So she took the book, "again, anything at-" she was cut off as she could hear some kids laughing loudly outside, but when she looked out, she only saw the memorial statue for the third Hokage defaced. "Oh no!" She said and turned to Ai. "Ai, I must head off, but please try to come to class on time tomorrow morning," she said and began running out. Ai got up and went to the window to see what had happened, and saw the memorial bust covered in graffiti.

Ai left the academy shortly after and walked along the streets of Konoha. She walked into the stationary store and found an alarm clock. The cheapest was around 800 yen. Ai removed her bookbag, opened it, and dug around for her change purse, which was the frog one Naruto left for her, and it was empty. She sighed as she put it back in her bag. She started to head off, but a thought came to her. _Why don't I just take it? After all, no one waking me up early…and it's not like the store person needs it. It's in a box after all. _The thought was sudden, and she eyed the clock wearily. It was tempting. She looked around to see if anyone was watching her. When she thought no one was looking, she reached out to grab it, but she stopped herself. _I'm not a thief!_ She told herself and began to march out of the store.

Ai felt an uneasiness in the pit of her stomach as she walked away. She wished she could do so things without being back sometimes. Like the graffiti or taking something she needed. She didn't even know why she was such a coward. Shinobi weren't cowards! Wasn't she training to be a shinobi as well?

Ai began running off and saw Konohamaru. He noticed Ai and waved her over. She smiled and ran over. "Hi Kono-onii-san," she said. "Whatcha doing?"

"I'm making a video for your dad and Hinata's wedding as a gift," he said, "I'm getting everyone to congratulate them on the video for their happy union!" He said. Ai tried to hid her unhappiness, and merely laughed nervously. "You know Ai; I don't have one from you, do you wanna give one? After all, it's your family! Hinata will be your new mom, right?"

Ai really didn't know how to answer that. She backed away from Konohamaru, but he wiped out his camera and said, "okay Ai, you're on!" Ai stiffened up when she was being recorded, but that wasn't the reason she didn't say anything. She looked uncomfortable on screen. Miserable. Konohamaru sighed when he realized that Ai wasn't going to say anything. "Hey, what's wrong? Why do you look like that?"

"Like what?" Ai asked, hinting some aggression softly.

"You know, such a downer," he said. "You should be happy. You're getting a new mom and your family will be even bigger." Konohamaru turned the camera on and began recording the girl, "now give your new mother a huge welcome into the family!"

Then, Ai finally asked, "what if I'm not happy?"

Konohamaru was surprised by that, but still recorded, "why wouldn't you be happy?"

Ai was filling with some mixed emotions. Mostly bitterness and annoyance, and even some anger. However, she knew if she expressed any of that, she would only draw attention to herself. Wasn't it better to just stay quiet? She didn't want to get in trouble, unlike in school. Ai began to walk away and Konohamaru just shut off the camera. He knew he should go after her and make her talk, but it seemed like she didn't want to.

Sadoru was staying late at the Academy, grading over some tests that had been taken earlier in the week. When she came across Ai's test, she thought about the girl. She knew wrong, but was it in her place to intervene?

The instructor jumped a bit when she heard knocking and saw Iruka. "Oh, Iruka-sensei," she said. The man joined her, "how's it going Sadoru-sensei?"

"It's going okay for the most part," she answered and frowned a bit, "I do have one student whom I'm concerned about," she said, looking at Ai's test once more. "I don't know what to do to make her open up to me," she admitted.

"I know it's difficult to have students develop a trust to you, especially since you're new, but you'll find out. It's never easy at first," Iruka said. Sadoru apologized for being a bother, but Iruka just shrugged it off. A lot had been on is mind, especially with Naruto's wedding coming up. His and Naruto's relationship had returned to a similar place, and Ai's custody had remained in Naruto's favor, especially after the war. He was a hero now, and without a doubt, would be Hokage in the years to come. He had recently been granted the title of jonin and Iruka had noticed that while he was studying from that, and recovering from the war, Naruto and Ai had gotten so close.

It broke his heart and made him feel good at the same time.

Iruka had promised that he would keep a certain distance away from the girl since he didn't want to make thing even more complicated like before. Besides, he and Kakashi had a lot more to worry about. After all, Kakashi had become Hokage, and he was about to take an exam to being the vice-principal of the academy. "I'm sure you'll get the hang of it Sadoru-sensei, but I think it's time to head home for the night."

She nodded, "you're right Iruka-sensei," Sadoru got up and headed out with the teacher.

Ai arrived back to her apartment before it got too dark. "I'm home," she told no one, as the flat was empty. She took off her sandals and walked inside, taking off her bag from her shoulders and put it on the kitchen table, unzipping and dumping its contents onto the table. She rummaged through and pulled out her notebook, and like any good student, she began to study…or whatever it's called when one just stares at a notebook written in her handwriting about things she barely understood.

When she heard her stomach growl, she got up and went to the fridge, and pulled out the plate of remaining food. She reheated it, just like she did earlier that morning, sat down, and ate.

She went back to "studying" once more, while she ate and when she grew bored of that, she stopped and looked around her apartment. It seemed barer than when she and her dad had moved into it. She knew why he was moving things over to their new house. Apparently, the apartment they lived in now wasn't big enough to house Hinata. She grew angry when she thought about Hinata. She used to like her before she and her dad started dating. Ai remembered it wasn't even that long ago when they began to spend more time together. Then the days from when he came home grew fewer and fewer. Ai looked over to the calendar on the wall, next to the fridge, and had been marking down the days until their wedding. Only four more from her count. The date was circled in red with a flower over it.

"She's going to be your new mom Ai, you should be happy," Ai said in mocking Konohamaru to herself. Ai flung her pencil that she had been holding and accidently threw it across the kitchen, flipping in the air before it landed against the wall on the other side of the apartment. Ai got up and went to get it. She picked it up and said, "if I left it there, I wonder how long it would before anyone had noticed it was gone."

That was when she had gotten an idea. "I wonder how long it would take for people to know when I'm gone."

Ai dropped the pencil and ran to her room, and began to grab some clothes, and started stuffing her bag with them. She repacked her shinobi kit, with a few kunai and shuriken, and even the last few snacks she had in the kitchen. She had slipped on her sandals, turning out the lights, and left the apartment.

Ai looked up and smiled at the moon. It was her only guiding light in this vast step into this adventure. She really had no area, in particular, she wanted to go to; she just wanted to see how far she could go before anyone noticed her disappearance….if they even noticed her disappearance.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

I don't own Naruto

**Naruto's Baby** **Chapter 19**

Sadoru ran the attendance roll for the next morning. When she got to Ai's name, she noticed her seat was empty once more. She sighed audibly and marked the girl absent once more. It was disheartening that the girl was going to continue to be tardy. "Okay class, today's lesson will be about genjutsu," she informed and turned to write down her lesson on the board behind her.

Zuko, from the back of the class, looked down to where Ai usual sat and worried. He noticed that she was acting very different. She seemed…distant. He looked out the window to his left and saw that some ninjas were running around. Many of whom he recognized since he grew up with most of them. Senji also knew everyone was running around, trying to make Naruto and Hinata's wedding some fantastic event. He didn't understand it. He did understand that Senji had been acting more like a jerk since the announcement. Speaking of his friend, Senji was sitting next to him, not even bothering to take notes.

What was up with him?

Zuko elbowed Senji lightly, "Hey," he whispered to make sure the teacher didn't hear him. "What's up with you lately?" He asked.

Senji smirked, "well, since you finally asked," he said, "I'm going to be the next Hyuga heir," he said. "Lady Hinata lost her title for heiress a while ago, and if Hanabi-sama gets married when she's older, then she loses it. I'm the next apparent heir," Senji explained. Zuko gave him a look of disbelief and a roll of his eyes, "why would you be the next heir?"

"Because I'm worthy, that's why," Senji said a little louder than he meant to, which earned him getting hit by a piece of chalk, thrown by Sadoru-sensei. Sadoru glared at the two boys, "detention after school for the both of you," she said, having a firmer hold of how to handle students. Zuko and Senji groaned loudly, and

Senji glared at his lighter-haired companion, "thanks a lot. I'm supposed to help with the wedding today, and I'm going to be late getting there," Senji spoke, and Zuko, once more, rolled his eyes, "yeah right, what role were you going to play? The Ring Bearer?" Zuko asked sharply.

"TWO DAYS DETENTION!" Sadoru screamed as the boys didn't seem to listen to her.

As a massive wave of shinobi flocked to get to Konoha, one girl was going in the opposite direction. Ai watched from behind some trees as visitors were on their to the North, while Ai was heading south. The girl had been traveling since last night, and despite her yawns, she felt energized. She watched as people headed to Konoha, even civilians with cartridges and horses were on their way to the main gates.

Ai stopped watching and started to travel through the forest. Her bag on her back, she walked through the woods and so far, no one had noticed she was even gone. That was a little disheartening, but she ventured forward.

The girl looked around her surroundings and realized how beautiful nature was. She had never left Konoha until now, never been outside of its walls. Now, as she was freely roaming around, Ai was more excited the further she got away from the village. The previous night of traveling got her about a few hours outside of Konoha. It wasn't until the sun had risen when she noticed the people coming, which was why she went to the trees.

She continued without much issue and then found herself. There was the path she was following along the road, despite her hiding behind trees. Ai seemed somewhat comfortable walking.

When she reached the end of the Land of Fire territory, she looked down at the valley that she would have to go down, unaware of the history that had happened to take place there.

She smiled and turned back toward the direction of Konoha, "I traveled far in a short amount of time, huh?" She said to herself. She looked down the valley and her smile faded. "I guess no one will notice I'm gone huh?" She looked around her surroundings once more before she found a path to get down the valley.

And her smile returned as she picked up the pace, and was soon running.

A twisting feeling was currently residing in Sadoru as she noticed that Ai hadn't come to class that day. The students had left except Senji and Zuko; they were still serving detention. "Okay boys," she said began, her arms crossed across her chest. "I want you both to write, _I will not talk during class_ a hundred times."

The boys groaned audibly, which was ignored by the sensei. They grabbed their notebooks and pencils and began writing.

Iruka came in and was expecting the class to be empty, and saw Sadoru and the boys. "Oh sorry, I thought this room would be empty," he said with a nervous chuckle. "I see you have some troublemakers today," he commented.

"Yes, but it's just from talking during my lecture," Sadoru said.

"I see," Iruka said, "well I'm here to pick up Uzumaki Ai."

"Pick up Ai?" Sadoru asked, more astonished than anything.

"She's Naruto's daughter, so she'll be part of the wedding ceremony. I have her attire picked out and everything for the wedding," Iruka asked. "Do you know where she is?"

"Iruka-sensei," Sadoru started with a hint of "matter-of-fact" condescension on her voice, "Ai didn't show up to class today," Sadoru said. Iruka looked surprised by that. "She didn't come to class?"

"Right, and she's been tardy every day, and some days, she doesn't even bother showing up," Sadoru mentioned.

Iruka became very concerned. Ai wasn't the type of person to do that...was she? No, he raised her...no...Naruto raised her better than that. Something must be wrong. "Excuse me Sadoru-sensei, but I should go look for her," Iruka said and turned and left the room. Iruka hurried out of the academy and hoped that she was merely just playing hooky.

Iruka arrived at Naruto's apartment and knocked on the door, hoping for some form of reply. When he didn't get one, he knocked one more, only more frantic, "Ai. It's Iruka-sensei," he said, leaning in and trying to listen for any noise. The third time he knocked, and nothing. He didn't want to do this, but he began to slam his body against the door, hoping to barge it open. When he succeeded, he fell initially but got back up. "Ai!" He shouted and looked around the apartment. He began to throw things, and dig through large boxes, and no sign of the girl.

And he didn't notice the pencil on the counter rolling off the table Ai had placed it on before she left.

Iruka's parental instincts began to kick in. Ai was missing, and he needed to find her. He tried to calm down. _Maybe she's with someone. Maybe Kakashi? No..he's been busy with getting the wedding reception-ready for Naruto and Hinata. Is she with the Hyugas?_ He asked himself and shook that off, _no. Hinata would have told me this the last time I saw her._

Iruka had a feeling that this wasn't some prank and he tried to think of what to do now…_Kakashi! He'll have to know she's missing…no, she's not missing yet. She's just…she has to be in Konoha. She couldn't have left, right?_

Iruka hurried out of the apartment, and began running, jumping on top of rooftops to run and get to Kakashi fast and inform him.

Ai looked around and held her stomach. She was hungry, and the last of her travel snacks was gone. She was entering a small village, and she could see that it wasn't that different from Konoha. She walked around, keeping her eye out for a food stand. The brunette stopped and sniffed around when a heavenly aroma hit her. She followed and saw a man making some grilled meats on a skillet. She edged closer to the grill and inhaled the scents. She could feel her mouth water. The man who ran the stand noticed the child and said, "smelling's free, but a rack is about five hundred yen," he said. Ai opened her bag and knelt to the ground, digging through her supplies and remembered that she had no money. When the man eyed her suspiciously, Ai laughed nervously and grabbed her back, "I'm sorry, I don't have any money," she said. The man scolded, "then beat it, kid!" He had only raised his voice a little, but it was enough to make the girl scurry away. She hugged her bag and ran off.

The girl sighed once she was out of the man's line of sight, and slowed down to a walk. She realized she probably made a big mistake by leaving the village. At least most people knew who she was. She walked around until she stopped her slumped against the side of a building. Ai, for all of her loneliness, had never gone hungry a day in her life. She touched her hair, feeling the oil on her scale and remembered how she hadn't bathed in a few days, even before she had left Konoha. She then eyed her clothes and saw how dirty they were just from the hot summer day and sweating.

She unknowingly knew just how privileged she was until that moment.

Ai looked around and saw a man with a ninja headband on. She got up and went over to the man, pulling at his shirt to get his attention. The man was about average high, only a little shorter than her dad. Growing around shinobis, she knew that they were good people, who just wanted to do good things for their village and often protected each other. She had no reason to be scared of them.

When he turned and looked down at the girl, he seemed annoyed, "what you do want brat?"

"I…" Ai was nearly lost for words, but she managed, "um, I'm lost…can you help me get home?"

The man raised an eyebrow, "and what's your name?"

"Uzumaki Ai," she said, and the man began to laugh suddenly, making the girl jump a bit. She didn't know why he was laughing. "You're a Uzumaki? I'm calling bullshit," he said with a scoff.

"I don't…I uh…" Ai was lost for words.

"Move along street rat," the man said and shooed her away. "But mister, I-"

"Look kid; you think for a second that you're going to give me some made-up story about how you're related to the Uzumaki Naruto than move along," he said.

"But he's my-" Ai was cut off once more by the ninja, "get a lost kid, or you'll upset me," he said, and Ai backed away before running off in fear. She didn't stop running this time until she was on the other side of the village, further away from Konoha and going deep within Tanigakure.

However, a smirk appeared on her face, and she pulled out that particular shinobi's wallet that she had swiped at him. She pulled out the cash from his wallet and had about ten thousand yen in it. Ai wasn't one for stealing, but she was getting despite and he was a jerk anyway.

She felt justified.

Ai soon left the village and headed further away from Konoha.

Kakashi was making his plans with Shikamaru in his office when the door burst open. "Kakashi!" Iruka shouted, dropping the honorifics. Kakashi and Shikamaru stood there in shock. "What happened Iruka?" Kakashi asked.

"I can't find Ai, have you seen her lately?" Iruka said in concern.

Kakashi thought back to the last time he saw the girl and frowned when he realized that it had been weeks, since before the engagement. "Sorry, I haven't. Are you sure she's missing?"

"Yes. I was just at Naruto's apartment, and some of her clothes are missing, and one of the teachers told me that she'd been late going to class and some days she hasn't even shown up," Iruka said. "I don't think anyone has seen her lately."

Kakashi went over to his lover and placed his hands on his shoulders, "Iruka, calm down. Let's check all of Konoha before we freak out. She's probably with a friend or something," Kakashi said. As far as Kakashi knew, Ai had no reason to run away or for an enemy to grab her. Konoha was one of the safest places now since the war. Though the idea of her being snatched was a complete possibility. Kakashi turned to Shikamaru, "help Iruka in the search for Ai, and if you cannot find her by sunset, let me know," he informed him. Shikamaru nodded and walked out, and Iruka was about to follow him when Kakashi stopped him once more, Shikamaru having closed the door behind him.

"Iruka wait," Kakashi said, "what are you not telling me?" He asked, looking in Iruka's concern-filled eyes. Iruka looked away uneasy, but said, "I was informed that she's been missing classes," he said. "You know I see her as my child. I can't help it. We raised her when she was a baby. Just looking at her from a distance is hurtful," Iruka said. "Don't you feel like that? You raised her with me…I still see her as _our_ child," Iruka looked more like a mourning parent then he did as a concerned educator. "I know Naruto's been busy with missions and the wedding, but who's been Ai attention?"

Kakashi lowered his head, "I do feel horrible when you lost custody, but Naruto has been trying his hardest to support her while still maturing himself. Now, Ai will have a more supportive family."

"Will she?" Iruka asked. "Hinata is too young to look after a child, especially one who's not her child. Naruto put himself in this position, and I don't know how Hinata will feel taking care of a child that isn't her's," Iruka stated. "And it seems like Ai is getting more and more cast aside and it breaks my heart."

"If you felt like that Iruka," Kakashi began, "then why didn't you go check on her before today?" Iruka's chest swelled, and his eyes widen. Why hadn't he? He could come up with a million excuses, but he knew that deep down, he thought that Ai would have the recollection to know that at one point in her young life, she could seek out Iruka's comfort.

But Ai seemed to have no memories of the years she spent with Iruka.

"I'm going to go look for her," Iruka said as he marched out of the office.

Kakashi watched Iruka leave his office and the slamming of the door that followed soon after. He looked over to his desk and picked up a particular photo that was framed. It was of him, Iruka, and Ai, before Naruto had returned to the village when Ai was three years old. Back then, it felt like Kakashi had a taste of what a family would feel like, even if they weren't related.

He hoped that it wasn't the worst case scenario.

Hinata was with her family, trying to organize the wedding. She was incredibly grateful for her clan's willingness to assist in the arrangement of the marriage. Now that she was going to be a Uzumaki, she would be officially losing her status as a Hyuuga, and her children after her wouldn't be affected by the family's restraints and traditions, even if they possessed the byakugan.

She was looking over some things when she sees Senji running over. "Sorry, I'm late!" He shouted. "I'm here now…what can I help with?" He asked, and Hinata smiled at him, "the rehearsal dinner will be in a few hours, why not go get cleaned up and your grandfather will give you the ceremonial clothing," she said, and he nodded and hurried inside. She smiled at her nephew, seeing a considerable resemblance between him and Neji. Those were dark days. After the war, they mourned his death, and it took a long time before Senji could go to sleep without crying. He was only four when his father died, the exact age when Neji's father had died.

They were both honorable men.

Hinata had decided that she would do everything in her power to make sure that Senji would know who his father and just how honorable of a man he was, and how his loss wasn't in vain.

"Hinata," The girl looked over her shoulder and saw Shikamaru walking over. "Oh Shikamaru," Hinata smiled, "what can I help you with?"

"I'm sure it's nothing, but have you seen Ai anywhere?" He asked. Hinata smile lowered and replied, "I'm afraid not. She's supposed to come to tonight's rehearsal dinner, but I haven't seen her around the village recently," she said. Shikamaru closed his eyes, "Okay, thanks."

"Shikamaru wait," she said, "is she okay?"

"We don't know, Iruka came into the Hokage's office and said she wasn't in class today and that some of her clothes are gone, but you shouldn't have to worry about it, I'm sure she's fine," Shikamaru assured. Her wedding was in three days, so Shikamaru knew that she needed to worry more about that. Hinata wasn't buying it and frowned, "Shikamaru," she said, "I'm going to worry about her. She'll be my daughter soon enough," she said. "Naruto and I weren't going to tell her until the ceremony, but I'm adopting Ai as my daughter. I know the circumstances of her existence, Naruto told me, but she's a wonderful child, and I would be more than grateful to have her as my kid. She's Naruto's family, and therefore she's my family," she said firmly. "So if there is a problem with _my_ daughter, I expect to be told about it."

Shikamaru could sense a scary aroma emitting from Hinata, and it was the same sense that he got from his mother when she didn't want to be messed with. He sighed, "I'm looking for her, around the village. If I find her, I'll let you know."

"And if you don't?" Hinata asked.

Shikamaru was quiet, but Hinata seemed to have gotten the message. She turned and headed inside, and Shikamaru left the area to continue his search.

Hinata wasn't going to stay put. She went to her room and changed into her shinobi gear. This was her daughter, and she would find her at any costs, but first, she would find Naruto and tell her. She knew where he was…


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Okay, I'm sorry I had put this story on Hiatus for so long. I couldn't come up with a straight plot for this part of Ai's story. It's hard to try to come up with an idea and make it flow through, ya know? Another thing is that life happened and I slacked off from stories.

I do want to announce that I have a Tumblr for my fanfiction account. "Wolf of Writing" and that has things like my opinions on certain ships, some concept images for my OCs (including Ai) and if you ever want an update on what's going on with my life, go there. I also do "Q and A" on there as well so feel free to ask me a question or two.

Now, will this story be getting a regular upload schedule? No. Not unless I get majorly inspired to write. More than likely, I've deleted certain chapters and this one will be up in its place.

I just want to say this. So I'm not a fan of the Boruto series, but my LEAST favorite thing about it is the arc which Sarada looks for her dad and that "drama." Cho-Cho was really annoying in that arc, and everyone had to beat around the bush that shouldn't even be there. I mean…COME ON! However, I sorta took that plot and made it more…believable in this sense (at least I think).

With that out of the way, let's get to the story!

I don't own Naruto, just OCs

**Naruto's Baby** **Chapter 20**

The journey had taken a positive turn for the girl. From the small village to now just walking around. With the bit of money that she had taken from that man, she was able to go to the nearest hot spring and take a bath and even buy some new clothes from the gift shop along with some more food. She was wearing some black shorts and a teal-color shirt that had the hot spring logo on it. Not much, but she wasn't known for being a fashionista. Though now that she had been traveling for a few hours, she was finding herself really tired.

So, as she was just walking through another small village, she wondered if she should set up camp. She had brought her camping gear anyways. As a shinobi-in-training, she had equipment for things like this. It wasn't like she could always be a bed to sleep on.

Ai parted away from the path and headed into the forest. Hopefully, she could find some cover, though she doubted that she would need it. It seemed like no one was looking for her after all. The brunette began unpacking her bag, rolling out her sleeping bag and pulled out her flashlight. She didn't know how to start a campfire, and she would need some light. She laid down under some trees.

She was beginning to feel bad…maybe she shouldn't have left. Maybe they couldn't find her… Perhaps she had gone too far? She could imagine how mad her father would be at her for leaving. No! She can't go back! She wouldn't go back! Though she was still too young. Who would take care of her? She didn't know anyone outside of Konoha.

"I wonder what Dad's been doing…I wonder if he even knows I'm gone," Ai mumbled to herself. She had begun developing the habit of speaking to herself. Who else would she talk to? She slowly closed her eyes and sleep eventually came, but not before some noises kept her awake out of paranoia.

That night, Naruto had gotten from a mission that was last minute. As he hurried to try not to miss the rehearsal dinner, he headed to his apartment to pick up something. It was in his room and hidden away so no one could find it.

It was the adoption papers Hinata had signed to be Ai's legal mother. Tonight, they were going to announce that Hinata was officially Ai's legal mother.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" He muttered to himself as he saw how late he was running. He made it to his apartment when he saw the door kicked in. "What the hell?" He pushed the door opened and went into guard mode. He pulled out a kunai really quick and pushed the rest of the door open, seeing no one inside. He walked in, "Ai! You in here?" He asked loudly, still on guard. When he sensed no one else was in the apartment, he began looking around for his daughter. He opened her bedroom and saw that her bed was messy, her clothing drawers in her dresser were messed up and with some clothes pulled out. He began looking all around the apartment for any other signs. He hoped that she had just taken a bag of clothes and stayed with Iruka…but he didn't remember telling her to go over to his place…or anywhere.

He just realized that he had left his child all alone!

Naruto took a deep breath. His child was not like him. She would have been smart enough to stay with someone or intelligent enough to know how to take care of herself. Yeah, he wouldn't freak out.

Then a parade of disturbing thoughts came to him. What if Ai was kidnapped? What if someone saw him as an enemy and wanted to use his baby as a hostage? What if they just wanted to kidnap her to use as a slave. What if she just happened to have an accident and die? What if she was dead?

Naruto couldn't handle it, and he rushed out of the apartment and began going to the places where Ai would be.

By the time Naruto had gotten to the Hyuuga Estate, everyone had been looking for the Uzumaki child. Hinata had asked her relatives to help and their friends, who had been informed of the girl's disappearance, had been searching high and low for her.

Naruto even went into his sage mode to try to sense her chakra out, but he couldn't sense her.

Dawn was soon upon them, and Kakashi had called for a search mission for the girl. However, he only sent out Naruto, Hinata, Shikamaru, and Sakura. They were under the impression that Ai had been kidnapped by someone. For all they knew, Ai was a happy child who had no reason to run away from Konoha.

And Naruto was one concerned-as-hell parent.

Ai woke up as well rested as one could be. She stood up and looked up, seeing how cloudy it was getting. She knew that it was going to start raining soon. She got up and began packing everything away, but before she knew it, she could feel raindrops hitting her. She put her bag on her back and started climbing up the side of the hill. Ai only turned to look over her shoulder for a moment to see if anything was behind her before she resumed her climb.

She found a cave and climbed inside, and soon it became a downpour. She sighed. Now she would be bored. Ai sneezed and wiped her nose with her wrist, "did I caught a cold already?" She asked herself. Yes, she was talking to herself. She did that a little too often anymore, especially while alone. She couldn't stand silence.

Ai sat down, leaning against the stone wall of the cave and stared at the wall in front of her. She remained at the mouth of the cave's entrance and looked over, watching the rainfall. She could see the tops of trees and the road that she had diverted from to sleep in the forest.

In moments of silence, like the one she was experiencing now, many questions began to bubble in her mind. However, this would be the first time she would ever ask a particular subject. The man who she had stolen from didn't believe her before that her name was Uzumaki. _"Look kid; you think for a second that you're going to give me some made-up story about how you're related to the Uzumaki Naruto than move along." _It wasn't that strange of a comment, but it hurt her feelings to hear that. She mostly heard it from classmates who liked her dad and had crushes on him. Though Ai had been hiding these questions to herself, she was insecure about her appearance.

Ai reached for some hair and pulled some of the longer locks forward so that she could see them. Her dad's hair was golden like the sun. Her hair was turning brown and getting darker every year it seemed. She wanted blonde hair like her dad, and his blue eyes as well. "Why do I look so different from him? Aren't I supposed to look like my dad?" As these questions pondered, one popped into her head, and she was scared to ask it aloud. Her lip quivered as she dug into her bag, pulling out what looked like a photo book. It was small and held a few amount of pictures at a time. She flipped through and found a picture of herself with her papa. Naruto was a child, holding her as a baby. She didn't really think he was that young, but now that she knew better, many things were not adding up. "He's a kid when I'm a baby…so…is he my brother?" She asked herself. She began to pull nervously at her head. She was feeling uncomfortable even asking this to herself. Her face scrunched up in confusion. "Gah! If he's my papa then who's-" she asked before she spoke, "my mama." The words sounded so foreign to her. It was a question she never knew she needed to ask allowed. Okay, sure, she knew kids had moms, but she didn't. Maybe that is who she resembled? Her mama? Ai began flipping through the photobook and not a single woman who could resemble her mom would be in the thing. There was Tenten with her brown hair, but they didn't share eye shape. Not to mention if they were related, why wasn't she more involved in her life? Ai quickly scratched that idea out and began to ponder…and no one she knew fit the bill of who her mama could be.

She flipped back to the photo of her with Naruto. She began doing some math, using her fingers to help her count. "Papa is around…eighteen. I know that because I remember his birthday. And I'm seven," she said and began to count back. She paled at the realization, "so…he was eleven when he had me?" She asked. "No way! He has to be my brother or something! Parents can't be kids!"

Once that idea came to her, that Naruto was her brother, not her father, she then began to ponder…" who are my mom and dad then?" She flipped through the book and saw a picture of her and Iruka and Kakashi. The more she thought about it, the more times she remembered being around Iruka when she was young, before Naruto. He was old and could easily be her parent. What sold it was the hair and eye color. They seemed to match! "Iruka-sensei is my papa?!" She asked aloud. "He has to be!" She got up and put the book away in her bag. "He's my papa…so then…why does Naruto-nii make me call him Papa?" She asked herself. Ai looked out, "I'll go back and ask him! If he's my true papa, then he would know who my mama really is!" As the girl was trying to get her things together, she let out another sneeze. Ai began rubbing her nose with her wrist again until she was offered a tissue from someone. She took it, "thank you," the girl blew her nose and then realized something.

She wasn't alone.

"Have you seen this child?" Naruto went up to a traveler and showed him a photo of Ai. It was her on her first day at the academy. Naruto had made sure to take her picture. She looked happy in it. She had on the Uzumaki grin and saw was wearing a white button shirt with a navy skirt and black leggings that went down her to ankles and she had on pink sandals. The traveler looked at the photo and shook his head, "sorry, haven't seen her," he said and went on his way.

Naruto growled a bit and was getting frustrated, though he knew better than to get angry. Sakura went over and sighed, "I know you're concerned, but we can't keep stopping and asking people. Odds are, they haven't seen her."

"It doesn't hurt to ask. Any lead would be really helpful," Shikamaru stated. The truth was, they didn't have any leads on where Ai would be heading or who would even take her. They could be heading in a completely wrong direction for all they know. They only guide they had was to look at where the closest exit out of the village was closer to her by the time she left. Not even while searching for clues back at Naruto's old apartment did anything come up.

Naruto cleared his anger and said, "I just want to know why this is happening. Why now of all times and why her?" No one knew how to answer that. It could be for a million reasons. Hinata walked over and placed her hand on Naruto's shoulder, "we'll find her." She said and smiled, "besides, she's our child, she's tough."

Sakura looked taken back by that, "did you say our child? As in yours and Naruto's?"

Naruto smiled, "it was supposed to be a surprise, but since Hinata and I are getting married, we decided to make her Ai's mother legally. She needs a mom, ya know?"

Sakura sighed and smacked her forehead, "what if she found out about that and got upset?"

"Why would she be upset? She likes Hinata," Naruto asked.

"It's still a major change in her life. Remember how hard it was for her to adjust to you after you came back from training for two years?" Sakura reminded him. "Having a new parent is a lot for a kid."

"Like you would know Sakura," Naruto said with hints of attitude in his voice. "Excuse me?!" Sakura went over to him. "What the hell does that mean?"

"I mean you need to back off. Ai isn't your child. She's mine. You think you're so smart because you studied healing jutsu and everything else. Having a child is different and it makes you think differently. I constantly have to put my daughter's needs and wants over my own and it's very taxing," Naruto proclaimed. "The few times I was selfish, bad things happened to her, like now," he said. "So it would be helpful to not get snide remarks from someone who doesn't know how to raise a child."

"If you a good parent-" "Sakura stop!" Hinata spoke and confronted Sakura. "You'll regret what you say if you finish. Naruto's been trying for years to raise Ai by himself." Hinata said. She knew how hard it was, especially when she began seeing Naruto with Ai after his return and how happy they were, but only recently did she see his struggles as a single and young parent. "And despite the thousands of clones Naruto can make, he can't always be there for Ai. It's difficult to admit and to accept, but that's the truth."

Sakura lowered her head, "I don't think I can imagine someone raising a child by themselves. I'm sorry Naruto." She said.

Naruto nodded, "you never know. You might be in a similar situation one day…it's best not to judge people or their kids when you don't really know what is going on."

Shikamaru pointed, "come on, there's a village up ahead not too far from here. Ai might have gone by there." He said and began to lead the way.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Hello everyone! This is probably my longest chapter for this story. I just got inspired to write a bit is all! Anyways, I wanna say go check out my Tumblr,_** The Wolf of Writing**_and send me a message, telling me that you came from Fanfic and what not. I'll be more than happy to say hello back :)

I don't own Naruto, just OCs

**Naruto's Baby** **Chapter 21**

Ai Uzumaki was many things. Awkward was one of them. Surprisingly one of them. As the child of the Hero of Konoha, she was well known back in Konoha. As an infant, despite what she knew, she used to be an outgoing child. Always smiling and happy, and approached strangers as though they were friends. Though in recent years, Ai's personality had changed. It was still shaping greatly but since she started at the academy and began her ninja training, the girl who stood out with a smile wasn't as prominent as before. Only recently had she taken on a dimmer demeanor. She didn't how to cope so easily and being by herself often didn't help.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I'm talking to myself," she spoke to the unknown person who had given her the tissue. "Well, ya see, my papa is getting married and that's supposed to be happy and all. At least people keep telling me that I'm supposed to be happy." She softened. Quickly, she began to scratch the back of her neck and nervously laugh, "I don't know why I'm not happy…I don't know a lot of things I guess. My papa might be my brother for all I know anymore," she rambled on. "I don't even know what I want anymore…all I know is that I want to feel better and…actually, talking to you helped a lot." She said. "Thanks…uh…what's your name?"

A man stepped out, long-haired and black-headed, with contrasting skin. "Please, call me Orochimaru," he said and knelt down to the girl's height. "And what is your name?"

Ai was bashfully embarrassed, "If I told ya that, you probably wouldn't believe me!"

"Try me," Orochimaru smiled.

"Well, it's Uzumaki Ai."

The man chuckled, "and why wouldn't anyone believe that to be your name?"

Ai shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe it's because I don't look like….Naruto," she used her papa's name and it felt so foreign to say. She'd heard many people call her papa "Naruto" before, but for her to say, sounded so wrong. She looked at Orochimaru, pouting, "you don't think I'm am Uzumaki, do you?"

Orochimaru chuckled lightly, "I believe you are. You are your Mama's daughter after all."

Ai blinked, "my mama? I don't have a mama."

Orochimaru stood up and offered his hand, "I can tell you about your mama if you want. Your papa as well. Your true papa."

Ai blinked and her nervous chuckle vanished, "my…true papa?" She paused and as she reached out to Orochimaru, but before they touched hands, she retracted and put her hands on her hips, looking at him suspiciously, "wait a minute! Is it Iruka-sensei! I bet it is! I look like him!"

Orochimaru laughed, "no my sweet child. It's not him. It's someone else. Someone your mama was very close to when they were kids not much older then you are right now," he said. "Now come along, I have some food at my base and warmer clothes."

"Do you have hot cocoa?" Ai asked as she took Orochimaru's hand, looking up at him.

"I think I do, but if not, I can have one of my subordinates go get you some." Orochimaru smiled and led the child further into the cave and into a secret entrance to his underground lair.

"Yeah, I know that brat!" The ninja said as she was shown a photo of Ai, the same one Naruto's been carrying and showing to random strangers. He just happened to show it to the worst person. "She tried to get me some sob story about how she was an Uzumaki and I told her to fuck off. She also stole my wallet! Nothing but a pit pocket." The man said.

The wrong answer on his end.

Naruto's eyes twitched angrily before he punched the guy in the face, "she is an Uzumaki and she's my daughter!"

Sakura and Hinata had to go over and pull him away from the man and Shikamaru looked down on the man, "do you know which way the kid went?"

"I don't know! She's a little thief! Uzumaki or not, she's a brat!" The shinobi said and headed away from the group.

Naruto was still seething with anger and once the other man was gone, he calmed down. Sakura punched Naruto on his head, "what were you thinking? You can't just attack people like that!"

"He called my daughter a brat and said she stole from him! My daughter would never do such a thing!" Naruto said, "I raised her better than that."

Shikamaru sighed, "what a drag. You can't just do stuff like that. You're a jonin now. Act like it."

Naruto huffed, crossing his arms angrily. Hinata walked over to someone who was watching the scuffle and had Naruto's picture of Ai, "have you seen this child?" The man looked it at and nodded, "yeah. She was walking around by herself. I think she went that way, just straight out the village," he pointed to the main road. "There is a hot spring out that way, so I would check there."

Naruto heard that and felt better, "okay guys! Let's go! She's not that far now!"

Sakura, Shikamaru, and Hinata looked at the sky and saw where the dark clouds were and how much it was raining over that way and how it was coming this way. "Hopefully we can find her soon. The weather is getting worse it seems," Hinata said as she followed after Naruto, along with Shikamaru and Sakura.

Ai sat in a medical office, sipping on some hot chocolate that Karin had made for the child, per Orochimaru's request. The woman helped run the secret bases and just so happen to in that particular hideout at the moment. "It's delicious," Ai chimed with a smile.

"I'm glad you like it," Karin said. "I had to go out of my way to make it," she said under her breathe, but Ai heard it and lowered her head, "sorry, I don't mean to be in the way."

Karin felt back and laughed nervously, "don't be. You're Orochimaru-sama's guest," she patted her head. She looked at Ai closely and wondered why Orochimaru wanted this kid here. She didn't look like she was special. Downright ordinary compared to others she had seen. She went over to get something file when Orochimaru walked. "I hope my assistant is treating your well Ai-chan," he smiled. Ai nodded in response. "Good, now, let's talk about you for a moment," he sat down across from her. "Tell me Ai, what do you like to do?"

Karin watched in confusion and curiosity at how Orochimaru was acting and treating this girl. And she was babbling on freely with no reserve. Was he trying to gain her trust? It seemed like it. The girl blabbed on about how she liked to run around Konoha and play with her friends, and how she liked drawing, etc. Typical kid things. Karin was right, there was nothing special about this brat. In fact, just hearing her talk just made her envious. Kids had no idea how lucky they had it anymore. The world was at peace and there wasn't going to any war anytime soon because the nations were all at peace with each other.

Karin just toned her out and was about to leave when she heard Orochimaru ask the child, "what do you know about Uchiha Sasuke?" She stopped at the doorway and began listening. Ai, on the other hand, pondered the question for the moment. "U…chi…ha Sasuke?" She asked aloud and shrugged, "It sounds familiar…I don't know."

Orochimaru stood up and went to the computer that Karin had been working on for a bit, "do you know what this is?" He asked the girl in question. Ai got up and walked over to look at the computer screen. "It's a computer?"

"It's a special computer. See, this device lets me see what's inside anybody if I have a sample of their DNA," Orochimaru explained. Ai looked amazed, "DNA? You mean like the ladder sculpture things with the little balls on the ends on them?" She asked as she only remembered something like that when she saw a visual on what it was.

"That's just a model that a lot of people know about. In simplest terms, DNA can tell a lot about people, for example, who your parents are." Orochimaru said. Ai's onyx orb lit up with amazement. "Is this what can tell me who my mama and papa are?"

"It can tell if there is a match in DNA," he said. "Remember the name I just said?" Orochimaru asked. Ai nodded vigorously, "yeah! Uchiha Sasuke! Is he my papa?!"

"Let's find out," Orochimaru said and went into his draw and had a plastic stick and a swab on it. Orochimaru turned to the child, "open your mouth for me," he said. Ai didn't even hesitate and Orochimaru began to swab her cheek. Ai looked around with her Perivale vision, seeing the red-haired woman now looking at them. She approached, "Orochimaru-sama, are you saying that this girl is Sasuke's child?! How is that even possible? She's too old!" She exclaimed.

Orochimaru finished and the girl closed her mouth, "you're her cousin Karin, you should be nicer to her."

"Cousin?" Karin asked and glared down at the child, who looked away when she was glared at. "I don't know what a cousin is," Ai mentioned.

"She's an Uzumaki, like you," Orochimaru clarified. Ai looked at Karin and smiled, "I always wanted a big sister!"

"I'm not your sister or cousin!" Karin said and turned to Orochimaru as he was getting Ai's swab into the computer. "Orochimaru-sama, with all due respect, what is going on here?"

Orochimaru looked at Karin, "she's Naruto's child. Uzumaki Naruto's child." Karin froze a bit and looked down at the girl, who didn't know what the subtext of that statement meant. She only looked shocked, and her eyes looked at the screen as Orochimaru was pulling up Sasuke's file. His file, along with some other, was under a tight security code and software that prevented anyone from just hacking into it. Orochimaru must have been serious when testing the little girl's DNA.

"Are you really an Uzumaki like me?" Ai asked. Karin looked at the girl and nodded, "yes. There are not a lot of us left I suppose." She said. Ai only smiled, "I like your hair! It's bright and red! Red's my favorite color!" She said.

"Is it?" Karin asked.

"Well, one of them! I have a hard time picking out my favorites, to be honest! I like red but it doesn't look good on me! I don't like orange that much because that's papa's favorite color and I can't have that favorite color! It's impolite!" Ai said and began to ramble on about the colors pink and purple. The girl's ramblings didn't seem that much annoying anymore. It just looked like the child was excited to have some attention from someone.

Orochimaru was only doing this amount of work for show. He already knew that Ai was Sasuke and Naruto's child. Though he was even thrown off a bit when he first saw her and her brown locks. She could easily fool anyone about lineage. However, there was no denying that if her hair was black, Ai would be the spinning image of Sasuke.

When the results came back, the machine made a beep, making Ai and Karin look over. The machine Orochimaru was using had an in-depth look into Ai's genetic code. Karin looked over Orochimaru's shoulder and read the results, freezing when she saw the paternal results. "No way…impossible."

Ai stood up and said, "I wanna look! I wanna look!"

Orochimaru looked over and picked up the girl, sitting her in his lap, "see that? It's a match with a sample of someone I know." He pointed to the screen. Ai read what it said and saw Uchiha Sasuke and the word, "Match" on the screen. She lowered her head. "So…I'm not…an Uzumaki after all." In truth, she had hoped that whoever this Sasuke was wasn't her papa. Despite her own doubts, she still loved Naruto as her papa.

Now she only felt hurt and lied too.

"So she isn't an Uzumaki after all," Karin said with her arms crossed, "but to be an Uchiha, and Sasuke's daughter is just…impossible. How? She's a child. He would have had sex when he was a-" she immediately stopped talking when she heard Karin talk. "What's sex?" Ai asked.

Karin looked dumbfounded, "how old are you?!"

"Seven."

"Sasuke would have been a child if he had…" she trailed off.

Orochimaru looked at Ai and tapped her shoulder, "look at the maternal part," he said. Ai looked up and blinked when she saw Naruto's name pop up. She blinked in confusion. "But…he's a boy. Can…boys have babies?"

"Your mama is special. Very special. And that makes you special," Orochimaru said. "Would you like to meet him? Your true papa?"

Ai let out a soft breathe she didn't know she had been holding in and looked at Orochimaru over her shoulder. "Is he here?"

"No, he's hard to track down nowadays. I saw him recently. He's doing well for himself," Orochimaru said. "Does he know about me?" She looked at the man as they walked. Orochimaru thought for a moment. Sasuke did know about Ai, but he hadn't told him about the parts where they were father and daughter. "He knows of you because you're his best friend's daughter, but I don't think he knows much else."

Ai didn't know how to feel about that. So, he knew her, but not that he was her child? How did that work? Should someone know if they have a child? Orochimaru patted Ai's head and ran his fingers through her hair until his fingers were caught in some knots. "It seems like you need a hairbrush," he commented lightly. Ai's hair was frizzy after the rain hit. "Does Sasuke have hair like mine?"

"I think so, but his hair is much darker. It seems you have a mix of your papa's dark hair and your mama's light hair," he commented. Ai had never thought of it like that. "So…I'm a mixture of my parents?"

"All children are a mixture of their parents genetically, and some of those traits are more dominant than others," he mentioned lightly. It was strange having to educate someone in such basics in genetics. "But hair color, while genetics play a part of it, it mostly changes the older you get with most people. However it seems many people seem to be born with the same hair color as the day they were born," Orochimaru explained.

Ai pulled at her hair and frowned, "I don't like my hair. It's not like pa…I mean…mama's hair. His hair is so gold and bright. I want hair like that! And his eyes! He has blue eyes! I want that as well!" Ai said. Orochimaru frowned a bit as she spoke about the things she didn't like about herself. No child should really notice things like that about themselves and hate it. The girl suddenly ran in front of Orochimaru and said, "wanna see what I wanna look like! I've been practicing the transformation jutsu!" She said and put her fingers together. "Transform!" In a puff a smoke, the bushy-haired, black-eyed girl wasn't there, like blush. Instead, stood a girl with bight blond hair, straight down to her shoulders and with pink circles on her cheeks, no whisker marks, and tan skin. She also had Naruto's feminine eyes with long lashes. "What do you think?! I look pretty good, don't I?" Ai said. "This is how I wanna look!"

Orochimaru walked passed her and didn't say anything. What could he say to a kid who hated what they looked like? He wasn't her parent. This was Naruto's territory. Orochimaru did know one thing. Ai's transformation looked really fake and easy to see through.

Ai popped out of the jutsu and frowned. "Did you not like it? I thought I did a really good job on it!" She ran after him. "Wait a minute? Where are we going?"

During their investigation, Naruto and his team found the mouth of the cave and found a photo that got left behind. Naruto picked it up and frowned. It was the photo of him when he was thirteen and Ai was a baby. It was one of the pictures he actually didn't let her see that often. She was getting to that age where she was noticing that he was too young to be her papa. "She's been here," Shikamaru said.

"Byakugan," Hinata said to see inside the cave. She could see through the walls and then some. "I can see tunnels and a set of steps that lead underground," she announced. "There are a few people here, but their charka signatures are faint," she said and deactivated it.

"We should investigate," Naruto said. "Let's Move!"

The four ninjas ran deep into the caverns and found their way down the stairs, watching out for any sort of traps that lurked in the area.

"I hope those fit you," Karin said as he had given the girl some clean clothes. Ai nodded. It had been a few hours since Ai had arrived and she was still reeling from the fact that Ai was Sasuke's biological child and an Uzumaki. No wonder Orochimaru wanted to treat her very well. She would become a powerful kunoichi someday. Ai was given a simple kimono to wear. It was white with a purple obi on it. It wasn't the best thing but the only thing he had in her size. Karin had wondered why had Orochimaru had something like that in that size.

"Ai, want me to brush your hair?" Karin asked. The child nodded softly and went over to her, "actually, can you cut it? It's long." She asked. Karin was surprised by that request, but laughed nervously, "it does seem a little unmanageable. How short do you want it?" She asked. "Um…my shoulders." She said. Ai smiled. "My auntie Sakura had a cute hairstyle I like. It's so silky and soft. I also wanna grow out my bangs to be the same length!" She said excitedly.

"I can't make hair grow longer, but I'll try my best to style it," Karin said and grabbed a pair of scissors and began cutting off the hair. Karin had no idea just how much hair she had. Like Sasuke, it was really fine but so much of it. Now he cut it and thinned it out. It still looked attractive though.

Karin tried to make it more of a blend of lengths, not that she was much of a stylist. Though when she was cutting, she noticed something interesting. "Ai, you have some blonde hair," she noted. Ai blinked. "I do? But I didn't do my transformation jutsu around you. I shouldn't." Karin smiled, "it's your roots. It means that your hair is just getting lighter. Just as hair gets darker, it can also go lighter as well. Some girls even bleach their hair to make it blonde or white." Karin noted.

Ai turned, "I can make my hair blond and not be in a jutsu?" He asked. Karin laughed, "maybe when you're older, yes, but you shouldn't worry about your looks at your age. You're not a bad looking kid," Karin said.

"My mama is pretty even though he's a man…I wish he hadn't cut his hair like he did. I don't like it short." Ai pouted.

"Hey keep your head straight or else I might cut you," Karin said as she continued to cut away the hair. It would take a while longer then she expected, but by the time she was finished, she looked like a different kid. "What do you think?" Karin asked as she gave Ai a handheld mirror.

Ai looked so different and she liked it. Her hair now complimented her round cheeks and her bangs were brushed over to the right side of her face, and she had a new part in her hair. The bushiness of her hair was turned in a soft curl in her short locks. "I looked great!" Ai said and hugged Karin. "Thank you big sis!"

Karin smiled, "not a problem, and now your hair is easier to manage," she said and went to go get a brush for all the hair she chopped off. Ai looked at the hair was amazed that all of that came from her head. She even saw different shades in her hair, like some strands were darker than others, and even some hair was blonde. "The blond is more prominent in your hair," Karin said, "like highlights."

Ai smiled and saw some tears forming in her eyes. "I don't think I've ever looked this amazing before."

Karin had no idea that something as simple as a haircut could make someone so happy. "Remember that feeling you're feeling right now. That's how you should always look at yourself kid."

Ai nodded, "I will!"

Orochimaru came in the room and smiled, "don't you look happier Ai," he smiled. Ai nodded and went to the old man, "Karin-nee-chan gave me a haircut and I love it," Ai said and twirled around, feeling the new breeze on the back of her next and the longer parts that framed her face fly about. "You look beautiful Ai. I have some news. Your mama is here and he wants to take you home."

Ai stopped twirling. "My mama?" She asked and then remembered that he was talking about Naruto. "Do I have to?"

"Yes Ai. He misses you, and you should show him your new haircut," Orochimaru. Ai pouted and turned to Karin, smiling, "bye Nee-chan. I hope I can see you soon," she said as she followed Orochimaru out.

Orochimaru and Ai walked a bit and saw the four Konoha shinobis running toward them. Naruto saw Orochimaru and while he was angry to see him, he saw Ai and stopped in his tracks. "Ai!" He said and opened his arms out. "Come to papa."

Ai frowned and cling to Orochimaru's robes, "no."

Naruto had to blink and shake his head. "What?"

"You're not my papa! You're my mama! Mama!" Ai said.

"Orochimaru! What did you tell her?!" Naruto asked angrily.

"The truth. I told and showed her her lineage and told her about her papa. Her true papa." Orochimaru spoke. "Ai, do you want to tell him who your papa is?"

Naruto's eyes widen in horror, fearing she actually did know the truth. He grew angry at Orochimaru. "You bastard! She's too young to understand what that means!"

"Sasuke!" Ai said. Naruto did a double-take that on that. "What?"

"Uchiha Sasuke. That's my papa!"

Naruto laughed, "that's not correct. Sasuke isn't your papa," he said and went over and took her hand. "Come on Ai, we're going home," he said, trying to get past it. Orochimaru frowned as he grabbed Ai's wrist and tried to make her move. She even began to struggle against him. "The machine said Sasuke was my daddy! Let me go! You're hurting me!" Naruto stopped and looked down at his daughter. Parent mode was on, "Uzumaki Ai. You are beyond grounded, do you understand me?" He said and she looked away from him. He grabbed her cheeks and made her look. "Don't ignore me, young lady. You're beyond ground. Not only did you run away but you caused a lot of problems for a lot of people," he said and let go. "I want you to think about what you did on our way back to Konoha," Naruto said and grabbed her wrist once more, dragged her out.

Ai looked back at Orochimaru and saw the other adults in her life looking down at her with disappointment. In a fit of anger, Ai reached over and bite Naruto's hand to make him let go. Naruto reached, letting go for the moment and in a blink of an eye, he hadn't realized what he had done until he heard Hinata gasp in shock.

He slapped his child.

Not only that, he slapped her so hard that she hit the nearby wall and hit the back of her head. Naruto saw Ai's slump down, indicating that she was completely unconscious and bleeding from the impact. "Ai!" Hinata went over and picked the girl up, and Sakura knelt down and began using medical ninjutsu on the girl. Shikamaru looked at Naruto and saw his hand bleeding, but that was something he could easily get over.

Naruto couldn't believe that he had hurt his child.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Hello everyone. Thank you all for your support! This is the second to last chapter of "Naruto's Baby." I think I decided on a way to end this series and to finally close this story.

**Warning!** Depression and mentions of cutting in this chapter.

I don't own Naruto, Just OCs

**Naruto's Baby** **Chapter 22**

It was a beautiful wedding. The wedding itself had only been pushed back by a day so there was no real harm done. In fact, if anything it was even more beautiful when the cherry blossoms bloomed and the petals began to fall. Guests were gathered up and there to celebrate Naruto and Hinata's wedding. Everyone was there.

Expect for two people.

While Sasuke was off doing his own thing, only sending a hawk with a note "congratulations" on it, Ai was grounded and watched over by a Naruto clone back in their old apartment. Ai was packing up her belongings, instructed by Naruto since they were moving. Ever since she woke up, after being knocked unconscious by her dad, she had been quiet and angry. It wasn't the outlandish anger that Naruto experienced in his life. No, Ai was much like an Uchiha in the regard that her anger was powerful but silent. Her resolve to just let it build up inside her until she couldn't handle it. As she was putting her toys in a cardboard box, Naruto's clone was at the doorway, leaning against the opening with his arms crossed. "If you're a good girl and apologize to everyone for running away, then you can come to the wedding and celebrate our new family together."

Ai stopped packing, "your new family."

"Excuse me, what was that?" Naruto asked sternly.

"You heard me. Your new family. Not mine," Ai said and turned to the clone with anger and sadness in her eyes. "It's not that I don't like Hinata. She's nice. It's you who's the problem!" She proclaimed.

"Oh, so I'm the problem?" Naruto asked. "Enlighten me oh wise child! How I'm the problem?"

"You're a liar!" Ai shouted at him. "You told me nothing would change after you started dating Hinata but you haven't been home in weeks! You didn't even tell me that you would be gone! The least you could have done was let me stay at someone's house!" Ai informed him. "And you're my mama! Not my papa. That's a lot to take in." Ai softened her voice and turned back away from him. "And you don't even care…you said he was laying, but Orochimaru has no reason to lie to me," Ai mentioned. "I wish you were honest with me."

Naruto went over, feeling guilty about some of the things Ai was saying, and say down on the bed in front of her. He was a little scared to touch now since he had hurt her. Yes, Sakura managed to heal her up, but when she had first woken up, Ai flinched away from him and that was painful. "I love you…I never lied about that." He assured her.

"It takes more than love to care about someone," Ai said. "Honesty needs a part of that."

Naruto couldn't deny that, but if he told everything about what happened, she couldn't understand it, or worse, she would talk about it. Naruto knew Ai was blabbermouth, much like how he was, so he couldn't tell her much. "I am your mama. That still means I'm your parent," he said. "But I don't want you to call me that. Call me Pa or dad or anything like that."

"Then who's-"

"That's a story for another day Ai," Naruto cut her off. When she was about to ask again, Naruto put his finger to her lips, shutting her up. "I want you to know these truths about yourself," he began. "I love you. You are my daughter. And I wouldn't change you for all the bowls of ramen at Ichiraku ramen," he smiled and kissed her forehead, though the girl wasn't as receptive on that end. She frowned her brows and pushed herself away, "It doesn't mean much when it's your clone saying it. Enjoy your wedding. I'm not going." She said and went back to packing.

Naruto frowned as he got up and Ai walked around the room, grabbing things and shoved them into boxes.

While Naruto and Hinata were on their honeymoon, Ai stayed with her new grandfather and aunt at the Hyuuga estate. Ai was polite and didn't do anything to get into trouble while there, but when she was with Senji, things were different.

The young Hyuga had decided to make his stand known with Ai. As she was in her room, doing some homework, he came in. "That stunt you pulled nearly costed the Hyuga a lot of money ya know," he said, approaching her. "My family paid for the wedding that you didn't even attend even though it was your dad marrying my cousin," he said.

Ai looked at him, glaring, "you want me to pay you back or something Senji?" She asked.

"No. I want to you stay away from me."

"What? Why?" Ai asked raising an eyebrow. She had known Senji since they were babies and now, all of the sudden, he wanted nothing to do with her? Not be her friend anymore?

"You're nothing but a drama queen! Running away because you missed your daddy! That was really stupid of you. And for what? Why did you do it? Huh?" Senji asked. "What's the real reason?"

Ai remained still, as her anger was boiling over, remembering that she was a guest at the house. It wasn't like Senji was her sibling or whatever. She couldn't just punch him straight. She was biting her tongue and making sure she didn't attack her once-friend.

Senji didn't seem to care anymore, and crossed his arms, "that's right. Sit there and finish your homework, like a good girl." He soon left the room and Ai sat there, hugging herself. She rocked a bit in her seat and tried to hold in the tears. _Well, who needed Senji anyways? He was a jerk!_

It didn't just end with Senji's taunts.

The entire class Ai was in had heard that she didn't even go to Naruto and Hinata's wedding. Senji had spread the word that she wasn't even invited. Even Zuko confirmed that she didn't attend, but he didn't know why. When he tried to be her friend and ask if she was okay, she shut him out. She began to shut everyone out. However, it wasn't hatred she was feeling, it was ostracism. Her classmates all began shutting her out, only Zuko kept his hand outreach for Ai to grab onto, but that was only muddled when that one act of kindness was overshadowed by everyone else's treatment of her.

It started off as drawing lines on her arms. Black markers turned into red markers and red markers turned to blood. The lines had acted like all the moments that hurt her deep inside. She made her first line when Hinata and Naruto announced their first baby together.

Then there was a line when the teacher announced that the school was changing its curriculum and when she saw that other options were available for students instead of the shinobi life, she made a line because Naruto told her no, that becoming a ninja was her destiny.

She made a line.

One was for her brother's birth and the favoritism that followed.

One was for when told that she was made fun of for not looking like Naruto.

One was for when she told that she failed her first ninja exam because she had anxiety.

She wasn't good enough! She could see it on everyone's eyes. How could she have let down everyone down?! What were these expectations they all seem to have for her were coming from anyways? Why were all of her flaws always pointed out huh? Senji got F's on his report card and she hadn't heard about any punishment from him! She was just falling into a despair and she didn't know why she was!

One more line for being caught talking to herself by Hinata and Naruto.

Another for being accused of going crazy.

Once more for being overly-dramatic.

Another line was about to be drawn when she heard a gurgle. Ai looked up and saw a baby girl, tapping at her legs and smiling. "Himawari," Ai spoke softly, putting away her kunai and standing up, picking up the girl carefully. Ai was eleven years old, and Himawari was only a few months old. "What are you doing outside your nursery?" She wondered if Boruto let her out again. Despite those things being baby-proof, they weren't toddler-proofed. Himawari snuggled close to Ai, making herself comfortable. Ai was surprised. The girl hadn't really been near her siblings unless they were at dinner and she was forced to attend. Ai walked back to the nursery and just as she was trying to lay down her baby sister, Hima began to get fussy and Ai just continue to hold her.

It seemed like someone liked her still.

"Hima-chan," Ai said and tickled her, making the girl giggle in response. Ai only smiled, "you're lucky Hima-chan, you have dad's eyes." She said. Ai went to the rocking chair and began laughing to herself, "I suppose Hinata went to the store or something…I don't exactly remember her telling me to watch over you," she said.

Maybe now was time to dish out some sisterly advice. "Hima…you're so lucky to have your mama and papa. I know should be lucky, but the truth is that I'm very sad. I'm sad all the time anymore. It seems like one little thing I do wrong; I'm yelled at for it. It's not a good feeling Hima-chan." She said and wiped her tears with her free arm. "One day though, I won't be as sad anymore…and I'll be able to do whatever I want and no one will say anything and if they do, I won't care enough to listen," she said. "I hope you have all the happiness in the world Hima. No one deserves to be sad," she said. Just then, she could hear some loud clanging noises from downstairs. Boruto must have gotten into the pots and pans again and was banging up a storm. She could hear Naruto's voice as he tried to tell Boruto to stop. Ai smiled sadly, "don't even be Boruto. He may be the favorite now, but that will all come back and ruin him. You'll see," Ai said and stood up, and laid Himawari down once she was asleep. "Do you best Hima-chan. Your big sis will watch over you," she said and pulled over the small blanket over her sister and kissed her forehead.

Unknown to Ai, Naruto had heard what Ai had said to Himawari through the baby monitor. Since he was the one watching the kids today, he tried to keep everything in check, but Boruto was a rascally little boy. He just had to get into everything.

Naruto might be the hero of Konoha, or even on the path to becoming hokage, but being a father was the hardest thing he had ever become. He didn't even know where to start…but he had an idea.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23 (Final Chapter)**

I just want to say THANK YOU ALL for reading and supporting this story. Now, this may be a bittersweet ending for people. I was for me when I was writing this. After all, this story went through hell and a half to be made. Having to re-uploaded and stuff. Well, I'm glad it's finally at a decent ending.

For anyone wondering, no I will NOT make a sequel for this. My other stories need tending too soon enough and I wanna finish off those stories before summer of 2018.

I don't own Naruto, just OCs

**Naruto's Baby** **Chapter 23 (Final Chapter)**

Naruto and Hinata walked into the classroom. Sadoru smiled at the two parents and welcomed them to sit down. "Thank you both for coming in today," the sensei spoke politely, though she wished it was under better circumstance. Naruto closed the door behind him and they walked in, sitting in front of the teacher with the two open seats. "How has Ai been doing in class?" Hinata asked.

Sadoru's polite smiled turned into a worried frown, "I'm afraid you were here under better circumstances," she said and pulled out Ai's student file. "This year alone has been difficult for her. She Averages out in most of her subjects, but she's doing very poorly in teamwork." Sadoru said, "most of the student who have to work with her don't get along with her and while it affects their overall scores, the students get along with everyone else, just…"

Hinata and Naruto both hung their heads low. "I should have noticed Ai didn't have friends. She always came home from classes," Naruto spoke and then asked, "is there anyone who she gets along with her?"

"Zuko does still, but it's more of a civil kindness," she said. "I remember back when they were extremely close. It seems Ai has closed herself off from relationships, but," the sensei took a breather, "I'm not surprised."

"What do you mean?" Hinata asked.

"You see, Ai is…well, she's always being picked on," Sadoru said. Naruto gritted his teeth a bit, and visibly tensed up. "Why would they be picking on her?" Naruto asked. Sadoru didn't know the answer that exactly. It just suddenly happened as long as she could remember. "Ai used to be a happy girl," she commented. "I remember when she first came to my class and gave me that smile. I don't think anyone's seen that smile of hers in a long time."

Sadoru saw how depressed the parents got and said. She knew how hard it must be to hear that your own child was being bullied and disliked by the other students. "Hinata-san, am I to understand that you act as one of Senji's guardians as well?" She suddenly asked.

"Yes. I am when my father or sister cannot. Has he been getting picked on as well?" Hinata asked.

"No. He's the one who started the bullying," Sadoru said and also had Senji's file with her. "Senji used to be a good kid as well, but his behavior turned when…well, whenever Ai's bullying began," Sadoru said. "I've had to break a few fights between the two of them. They're like cats and dogs." Sadoru said. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't ask this, but do Ai and Senji get along while at home?"

"Well, Senji lives with my father and my sister at the Hyuga Estate so they don't see each other much. Like Naruto said, Ai stays in her room all day," Hinata answered.

"Now hold on," Naruto stood up. "We were talking about Ai, not Senji. Senji can wait," Naruto said with a building anger. "My daughter has been bullied and you have done anything about it?"

"I assure you Uzumaki-san, we do not condone bullying but this is also an institution in which we encourage students to sort their own problems," Sadoru spoke. That didn't make Naruto happy, "my daughter is getting hurt. It's not training hurt but she's dealing with peers. People who she was told to never fight against! Are you telling me that my daughter can't even defend herself?" He asked.

"Naruto," Hinata whispered, knowing how much he was hurting. She looked at Sadoru, "we've tried getting Ai to open up to us. She refuses."

"I think Ai's doing more than ignoring people as well," Sadoru said as she revealed a box, opening it up. It was full of bloody gauzes and seeing it made Naruto and Hinata gasp. "Ai's been getting hurt and she has to hide this much?" Hinata asked in fear.

"No. When students tend to do this, it means they're usually harming themselves," Sadoru mentioned. "I found this in her locker. I guess she thought if she threw them away, some would find them and report her."

Naruto felt so angry, but he didn't know if it was at himself for being a bad dad, or at the kids who pushed his little girl to harm herself. She was eleven years old! She shouldn't even be thinking about that! It was so wrong. Was his baby suicidal?! "Where is she right now?" Naruto asked.

"It's lunch, which means she's probably with Iruka-sensei," Sadoru said.

"Why would she be with him?" Naruto asked with a fear in his voice.

"He talks to her and they get along. Naruto-san, I assure you, it's not bad. She's actually been doing better since talking with him. I noticed her mood has picked up a lot." Sadoru spoke. "He was your sensei when you were a student, right Naruto? Do you not trust him?"

Naruto's fists tighten. He was conflicted. He still respected Iruka and they were on better terms. Sure, he didn't spend a lot of time with him because of what happened, but that man was the closest thing to a father he had…and apparently he was beng a better father-figure to Ai then he was being. Naruto calmed down and asked, "we were told that our daughter failed the genin exams? Why?"

"Well, it was the mock exams," Sadoru pointed out, "but she didn't fail because she did poorly on the exams. In fact, if she hadn't been caught, she would have passed with flying colors," Sadoru mentioned. The two parents gave questionable expressions until Sadoru said, "she cheated."

"Cheated?! My daughter is no cheater!" Naruto exclaimed. Hinata couldn't agree more. "Are you sure this isn't some mistake? Ai's a good child."

"I'm afraid we monitor these exams vigilantly, even if it is a mock exam," she revealed a photo of Ai looking forward and writing at the same time. "She's lucky she didn't get expelled."

Naruto took a closer look at the photo and looked back at the teacher, "Sadoru-sensei, what is your classroom's policy of kekkei genkais?" He asked.

"What?" She looked at the photo. "That's considered cheating! Is a student is caught using their kekkei genkais during exams, they're in trouble."

"Ai didn't know she had one. I haven't explained it to her yet," Naruto mentioned. Sadoru looked surprised, "she has the Byakugan?"

"No…a different one," Naruto said with a grimace. "I need to have a talk with her about it. I doubt she even realized she had it…would you give her another exam and let her retake the mock-exam?" Naruto asked. Sadoru looked uneasy and then nodded, "yes. She and Senji will need to retake it."

"Senji? Was he cheating as well?" Hinata asked.

"No. He failed his," she said, "I'm afraid he didn't get a single answer correct."

Naruto crossed his arms, "serves him right for being mean to my daughter."

"Naruto!" Hinata reprimanded him. She then turned to Sadoru, "and how is Senji throughout class?"

Sadoru laughed a bit, "well, he's certainly the lady's man. Our female students fond of him greatly. I think he tells the girls to pick on Ai as well, which isn't good. I don't know why he despises Ai so much, but if this keeps up, I'll transfer him to another class…and if his grades do not improve, then he'll be held back a year."

Hinata nodded. "We'll be sure to talk to them. They're family now. They shouldn't hate each other like this."

"I agree with you Hinata," Sadoru nodded. "I think if Ai just got a bit more attention, she'll thrive. I understand that parents are often very busy but I think a little effort could go a long way."

Naruto nodded, along with Hinata. "Thank you for telling us this," Naruto said and the two exited the classroom. Naruto sighed and told Hinata, "I'll go grab Ai and we can pick up the babies from your sister. We can have dinner out tonight." He said and with a smile. Hinata nodded, "how about you two spend some time together before dinner? I have to talk to my father and take Senji home."

"Okay," Naruto nodded and went looking for Ai and Iruka.

Naruto walked around the academy and when he couldn't find Iruka in his office, he looked out the window. Outside, he saw Iruka and Ai. Ai was practicing jutsus because Naruto could see her failed attempts as the clone jutsu. Naruto smiled to himself. Yep. That was his side showing through her.

He walked down and watched for a moment as his daughter did another clone jutsu, but when she actually was getting a hang of it, she smiled and jumped up. "I did it! I did it!"

"Don't get too excited Ai. You're still behind your peers in this jutsu!" Iruka lightly scolded. Ai pouted a bit, but Iruka went over and patted her head, "you're doing better and that's a good thing. Keep it up!" Ai looked up and smiled at Iruka. Another thing she had was the Uzumaki grin. Naruto hadn't seen her smile like that in a long time.

"Iruka-sensei! Thank you for all of your help!" Ai said and hugged him. Iruka smiled sadly at her, "it wasn't a problem. I'm happy to help." Iruka wanted to embrace her like before when she was his daughter. When she was Umino Ai. However, that would only open old wounds. Iruka looked over and saw Naruto, watching them. Iruka looked away and said, "Ai, your father is here to pick you up."

Ai let go of Iruka and saw Naruto. Her smile vanished and she looked uneasy. Naruto smiled and walked over, "it's been a while, huh Iruka-sensei?"

"It has," Iruka nodded along, making polite conversation. "I was just working with your daughter on some basics." He said.

"Yeah, dad! He showed me how to control my chakra better and I can even do the clone jutsu finally!" Ai chimed. The girl had no idea of the conflict that was between the two adults. Naruto nodded a bit, "really? That's cool of him considering he's the principal after all," Naruto said. "Hey, why don't I show you some jutsus sometime? I can show you the shadow clone jutsu or anything you want to know about," Naruto winked playfully at her. Ai smiled, "really?! That would be great!"

Naruto smiled at his daughter, "great! Now come on, why don't you show me some of your moves?" Naruto suggested. There was suddenly a fit of laughter, but it wasn't from his Ai. Naruto looked over and saw a bunch of young female students and saw Senji with them, "Hey loser! Why don't you go to your real parents and stop mooching off the Hero of Konoha!" One girl shouted.

"Yeah! I bet he's just taking mercy on you!"

Ai's mood soured even more and she just stood there. Naruto looked at his depressed daughter and saw her grip on her wrist. He glared at the kids, but was ashamed of Senji. "Naruto-san! Why don't you adopt me! I'll be the perfect daughter unlike Ai!"

Naruto gritted his teeth and stood before his daughter, "you kids are awful!" He said. Ai looked up, her long bangs now covering most of her eyes. "How dare you pick on my daughter. You don't deserve her as your friend," Naruto said. Iruka tried to stop Naruto, taking note of the all of the kids who were taunting Ai. "Naruto! Why are you taking pity on her! She sucks!"

"Are you just taking pity on her because you have to?!"

"You deserve better Naruto-san!"

"SHUT UP!" Ai screamed loudly. Everyone looked at the girl and began laughing. "Aww! Did we upset you!?" The head mean-girl asked. "Get over yourself Ai!"

Before anyone could stop her or wanted her to, Ai punched her fists together and rushed in. She jumped up and threw a punch at the queen of mean herself, a girl named Sora. It didn't stop, as punched flashed left and right from Ai. All Sora could do was try to block her face, but that seemed to be where Ai was aiming for. Naruto was more surprised by the fact that Ai had completely gone off like that. Iruka was as well.

The kids surrounded them and while some girls tried to get Ai off their friend, she was fighting tooth-and-nail to stay latched onto Sora. Naruto went over in a moment and grabbed Ai. "It's okay Ai! It's okay!" He said as Ai was kicking and screaming as she was still in a blind rage. Naruto pinned her, putting her in a hold that would render her motionless and all she could do was cry out her emotions. Naruto sighed and turned Ai to face him, "it's okay Ai, calm down," he said but froze as he saw Ai's awaken sharingan with one tear drop in her eyes with tears flowing down her face.

Ai soon buried her head in Naruto's chest, continuing to cry. Naruto only wrapped his arms around his daughter, hushing her and rubbing her back softly. Sometimes all a parent can do is be there for their child.

And Naruto would always be there for Ai in one way or another.

"Am I really expelled?" Ai asked after. It had been a few days since she had defended herself and attacked Sora, and now it was just her and Naruto, sitting on a hill that overlooked Konoha. "No. Just suspended," Naruto assured. He had a long talk with Iruka and Sora's parents after they reported their daughter's injuries, though it was unnecessary since Ai had attacked her in front of the principal and other kids. Ai looked at Naruto, "I'm not sorry. She deserved that and much more."

Naruto looked at Ai and sighed, "you truly are your father's daughter."

"Are you referring to yourself?" Ai asked.

"No…your father Sasuke."

Ai's eyes widen and straighten up a bit. "I thought you said Orochimaru was lying about that…. you never wanted to talk about that. Why not?"

Naruto turned to his daughter, "sometimes when you love someone, you want to deny a bunch of things. Deny all the wrong things that is."

"Did you love him?" Ai asked.

Naruto sighed, "...he did some bad things, and even more bad things, all I wanted to do was save him from himself. I was too late in that regard. I couldn't save him from himself and I couldn't save myself from him." Naruto admitted.

"Why not?" Ai asked. Naruto gave her a somber expression with pain in his eyes, "because then you wouldn't have been born." Ai felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. "He hurt you?" Naruto nodded. Ai looked at Naruto with empathic eyes. She still had the same onyx color of eyes but Naruto saw passed that. He only saw his baby from many years ago. Ai crawled closer to him, and laid her head in his lap, "papa…I'm sorry for everything."

"What? Ai, you have nothing to be sorry for," Naruto said.

"I'm sorry he hurt you," Ai said, "if I'm really his daughter as well, then I should be able to apologize on his behalf right? I'm sorry he hurt you." Naruto sighed sadly, but smiled, running his hand through Ai's brown locks, "I forgave him many years ago. You don't even bare his cross or mine for that matter. You should bare your own."

Ai looked at Naruto and smiled, "papa, can I meet him?"

Naruto shook his head, "sure, I think it's about time," he said, "I know he's in town, but we have to go to a place before we go see him."

Naruto walked with Ai from the Yamanaka's flower shop and headed to a hidden location. Ai and Naruto both carried a bundled of bell-shaped yellow flowers with them, and while Ai didn't know what they mean, Naruto did and that was all that seemed to matter. Hyacinths, the flower of forgiveness. Ai was holding Naruto's hand, his left hand as they walked to the place.

Not too far from Konoha's memorial graves, a man stood in a black cloak. He was knelt down in front of the headstone but stood up seamlessly when he saw Naruto and Ai. Guilty was in his visible eye. Naruto was the stronger one but he wouldn't admit that he was having some flashes of memory, seeing Sasuke like this. His bangs covered his left eye, his purple rinnegan eye.

Ai looked up when she saw Naruto stop. She let go of his hand and walked up to the man. "Hello…are you Sasuke?"

Sasuke looked down at the girl. An image of the baby he first seen many years ago flashed in his head. Strangely enough, his newest daughter with Sakura, Sarada, resembled Ai greatly. And he knew why now. He nodded, "I am."

Ai presented him the Hyacinths to him, "these are for you," she said. Sasuke knelt down and accepted the flowers, a soft expression on his face. "Thank y-" he was suddenly cut off when she slapped him across the face. She hurried back to Naruto, hiding behind his leg, "that's for hurting my papa jerk!"

Naruto was stunned but he laughed heartily at his daughter's actions. "Good girl," Naruto said and patted her head. Sasuke was just shocked for a moment. The slap didn't hurt, but he wasn't expecting a hit like that. He only smiled, "she really is your daughter dobe."

"You'd be surprised how much she actually takes after you teme," Naruto remained grinning. He walked closer and placed his bouquet of flowers on Itachi's grave. Ai was still clinging onto Naruto and glaring at Sasuke. Naruto sighed, sitting down, "ya know, she activated her sharingan…I'm thinking about asking Kakashi-sensei to train her in controlling it," Naruto admitted.

"I can really study under Uncle-Kakashi?!" Ai asked excitedly.

"If he says yes," Naruto said.

"Awesome!" Ai jumped up.

"With all four of us training her, Ai here will be the most powerful ninja in her generation," Naruto joked. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "four?"

"You, me, Kakashi, and Sakura has apparently been showing Ai some taijutsu by the punches she gave a student," Naruto laughed. Ai looked at him quizzically, "she hasn't been training." Naruto froze and asked, "so how did you get super strong like that?"

"Mama's been showing me some ways to control charka in my palms," Ai said. Naruto was surprised, "Hinata has?" Ai nodded. "Yeah, mama," she smiled.

"Since when did you call her mama? I thought I was mama." Naruto asked.

"Just now. I have a mama, a papa, and a father," Ai said as she thought about her family. Sasuke knelt down, "you also have another sister. Her name is Sarada," Sasuke said, "will you be a big sister to her?"

Ai shrugged, "I don't know, I already have a sister…and I'm attached to her," she said playfully, but she would watch out for Sarada if she was able too. Naruto laughed with Ai and Sasuke smiled with them. Ai then asked Sasuke, "so how long are you staying in Konoha?"

"Actually for a bit, so if you want, I can train you in some things, like the Uchiha's fire jutsus," Sasuke offered. Ai nodded, "yes! I would like that very much! I wanna learn as much as I can!" Ai proclaimed. Naruto laughed a bit more, hugging her, "don't you dare try to out beat me young lady! Enjoy your youth while you can!"

"When I go back to school, I bet those mean girls won't do anything to me anymore before I'll show them that I'm done being messed around. I am Uzumaki Ai! Gotta love me!" She proclaimed.

_Ai eventually passed the Chunin Exam and is on the same team as her old friend, Zuko, to whom she apologized too. With treatments and medicine, Ai's depression has since become manageable._

_Zuko forgave Ai and the two were nearly inseparable as siblings. He also got some training from his mom in both the healing arts and strength…however, he has taken his father's side and now summons toads. He was trained by Naruto in this regard._

_Senji was severely punished when Hinata told Hirashi about his attitude toward her daughter. Senji has since apologized for his behavior…Ai has yet to forgive him._

_Naruto eventually becomes Hokage about ten years later…but Ai didn't show up for his inauguration…she had something more important to do…_

…_give birth to her son, Uzumaki Ren._


End file.
